The Servant Queen
by CCNilesBabcock
Summary: Newly orphaned Lady Babcock finds herself destitute and alone in a hostile world and at the gates of Whitehall Palace, where she is to work as a maid to the monarchs and their conceited, womanizing cad of a son – Prince Niles, heir to the English throne and famous for his many affairs. What will happen when this spoiled prince sets eyes on the beautiful but headstrong Lady Babcock?
1. Chapter 1

_**Prologue**_

The bottom of the stairs had never felt such a long way down. And it was unclear if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

The Lady Chastity-Claire Babcock, daughter to Stewart Babcock, Duke of Bedford and the richest man in England, was unsure for a number of reasons, and each time she thought about an individual one, she tugged at her dress to make it even straighter than it already was. She was already in danger of pulling a seam loose, at this stage.

When she went to do it again, she balled her fist so it couldn't grasp the fabric and had to settle for ineffectively hitting her in the leg instead. This was her first ball, and she wanted to look just as beautiful as any other lady there.

Not for the same reasons as most of them, however. The night was supposed to celebrate Prince Niles returning from his military training and to aid in finding him a bride. Not that C.C. held any interest in him – she was more concerned about looking elegant for the first time at a place such as Whitehall palace than on finding a husband.

At least she had the anonymity of the masquerade theme if she fell flat on her face. That had to reassure at least a little.

She could hear the heated discussion coming from her sister's room, too, even if D.D.'s voice was currently weakened by sickness.

C.C. couldn't help frowning about it either, her heart both troubled by her sister's illness and full of sympathy. She wouldn't know how she would've reacted in D.D.'s place – her little sister having been sick for quite a few days now. Fever and chills wracked her near-constantly, coming in turn, she was often too weak to stand, she'd vomited more times than C.C. could remember counting...

She knew she would've been upset, too, if she'd had to miss out on the excitement of a ball, for some strange illness that she hadn't managed to shake yet.

D.D. certainly was upset by it.

"Why is she allowed to go and I'm not...?!"

"Because your sister is both old enough and well enough," came her mother's annoyed (and very parental) reply. "It will be your turn, soon enough, my dear! For now, you must stay here and recover!"

C.C. turned away from the noise, not about to jump in where she only knew she'd hinder, rather than help. Taking in a deep breath, she made her way down the stairs to where her father was waiting. His eyes were shining, and his jaw had dropped.

"Kitten...!" he gasped, coming forward to meet her. "You look beautiful!"

C.C. thought she looked better than usual, but she wouldn't have gone so far as to say "beautiful". Her dress, however… _that_ was another thing entirely. It had been custom made for her by the best seamstress in Europe. Only the finest fabrics and threads had been used to create it, it was deep blue in colour and with sapphires sewn into it – how could anyone not look beautiful in such a fine piece of clothing? On a real woman, it'd look like what it was supposed to – an ordinary ride that flowed as naturally with their bodies as the tides did with the sea.

She wasn't one of those women. She wasn't there for the benefit of the Prince, and she certainly wasn't going to be marrying him!

But she had to be gracious about it to her father, and she smiled.

"Thank you, Papa," she took his hands lightly as she closed the gap. "I really appreciate you taking me to this masquerade!"

"It's only right, my sweet girl," her father replied, coming to offer her his arm, "The invitation clearly stated that all marriageable, well-born ladies ought to be in attendance. And, if I might say so, I believe you will outshine them all."

C.C. couldn't help the faint blush in her cheeks – her father was prone to waxing lyrical on her beauty, even if most of the time she didn't feel half as beautiful as he said she was. But it wasn't the time to argue about if, indeed, her attributes were as fair and as legendary as her father claimed. It was time to get moving and go to the palace, where a wonderful party awaited.

She'd heard only wonders about the lavish soirées organised by the monarchic couple. From artists native to distant and mysterious lands to the finest musicians on Earth, their parties had everything to entertain the crowned heads of Europe, and C.C. was certain no expenses had been spared this time, given that the party was in Prince Niles' honour. He was, after all, the heir to the English throne, and the only (surviving) child of King Joseph and Queen Marie.

Truth to be told, she didn't know much about the Prince – although she'd heard through the grapevine that he was a bit of a womanizer – but since she had little interest in marrying him, she couldn't care less.

She only wanted to dance the night away.

And, God willing, she would do so tonight.

It was a few good minutes until her mother finally managed to come downstairs – minutes that she spent being complimented by her father and the gathered servants who wished to see them off. They were saying that she'd surely turn the prince's head! She wasn't sure about that, but she still thanked them all politely.

The compliments only stopped when the servants had to help B.B. with her coat. C.C. then said her goodbyes to her staff and her sister (calling to her from the stairway, as her parents would not allow D.D. to leave her bed and would not let C.C. close enough to catch whatever her sister had), and finally, let her father escort her and her mother to the carriage.

They were off in no time, and the closer to the palace the carriage got, the more excited she was. All the preparation had been fun so far, from picking out dresses and masques to getting ready. And now she finally was almost there!

She could see the palace in the distance if she looked at a certain angle from the window. She had to do so carefully – the servants had pinned her hair back, and she didn't want to turn up looking like a scarecrow instead of a woman. She had to keep out of any potential breeze.

Though if she danced as much as she hoped she would, it was possible her hair would come loose anyway.

Stewart could see her eagerness, without even saying so. He couldn't possibly have denied her this ball – even if it hadn't been commanded by King Joseph.

Besides, he loved seeing her so excited. She was legally a woman now, but to him, she would always be the little girl who'd sit on his knee in the study while he read a great document or two on one subject or another.

This ball would be different, but wonderful nonetheless.

He chuckled, "Having fun, Kitten?"

"Obviously," replied B.B. for her child, giving a good-natured eye-roll at her husband. "She's on the edge of her seat as it is!"

C.C. could only agree. This was her first ball, and she wanted to make the best of it and enjoy her introduction to society as much as she could. Especially since she'd get, for the first time, to dance with a man that wasn't her father.

Not to get her wrong, she cared not for romantic pursuits – she was confident that, in due time, her father would secure a suitable marriage for her – but in a way, this signalled her passage into adulthood.

It was a milestone she'd looked forward to for years now!

"We'd better put our masks on," commented B.B. when the carriage eventually pulled up Whitehall Palace's driveway.

Soon, the Babcocks had their faces hidden beneath their expensive masks; C.C. could hear the blood pumping in her ears.

It was almost time.

Upon descending from the carriage (and since she was a marriageable maiden) she was guided by one of the footmen to the designated entrance for all the young ladies. There were plenty of women waiting there, but they all were entitled to be announced and have their moment of glory in front of the other royals. They would not be announced by their real name, though. They were to use a pseudonym of their own choice – to preserve a sense of mystery, of course.

Unbeknownst to the ladies, the prince was not to be announced – he'd mingled with the rest of the attendants, safely hidden beneath his gilded mask.

At first, he'd thoroughly enjoyed the endless parade of ladies that, in all certainty, were ready and willing to offer themselves to him. But now, after having seen and interacted with countless women, he'd become bored. They were all the same – average-looking, airheaded and, frankly, unmemorable. He'd slept with plenty of maids and whores who were ten times more beautiful than most of the girls in the room, and part of him had begun daydreaming about slipping away of the party and into the nearest brothel…

But soon enough that idea was well out of his head, and his eyes were on the newly-announced marriageable lady – the Lady Bird.

It was as though new life had been breathed into him. With it came the sense of sweet, fresh air filling his lungs, a newfound sense of relaxation, and a renewed ability to appreciate beauty.

And Lady Bird was a beauty, without question. Even with her mask perfectly in place, he could see it. He just had to dance with her (eventually, he obviously couldn't right then) - he had to see her up-close, and talk to her. And it wouldn't be boring small talk, such as the kind he'd been passing off for at least the last five conversations he'd had with women in passing. He'd sooner throw himself from the balcony than talk about what mild weather they'd been having, and how lucky it was that the ball was scheduled for a clear night, for a dozenth (or even more so) time.

Not when there were more interesting topics to be discussed.

Of course, in order to talk about any of them, Lady Bird had to come his way. But at least half a dozen suitors were already making their ways towards her, clearly claiming dances.

That made Niles stiffen, and suddenly he hated the fact that he could only stand. He'd agreed with his father that he'd reveal himself when he was ready, and he had to make an almost inhuman effort not to yank his mask off and demand that all suitors stay away from the Lady Bird.

Not that Lady Bird was her real name – part of the fun was having a pseudonym. And she had certainly chosen one which implied she had a sense of humour.

Ladies were usually to use something that implied the territorial designation taken from their fathers' titles or surnames, but he could not for the life of him figure out which nobleman was the one that had fathered the gorgeous creature!

But, if he found her to be a marriageable prospect, he only needed to find out who her father was and ask for his daughter's hand in marriage.

For the next hour or so, he could only watch how nobleman after nobleman (some of them were even married!) danced with Lady Bird and whispered sweet nothings into her ear. That, obviously, only served to spoil his mood. But finally (and after practically having to elbow his way to her) he got his turn.

"Of course," she said upon his request for a dance, smiling in a way that was making him weak in the knees, "I'd love to dance with you, Lord…?"

"Lord Carrick," he quickly said. "And it's an honour, your Ladyship."

He saw her smile widen beneath her mask, and thought his heart had just grown wings to soar like an eagle.

"Lord Carrick," when she repeated his name, it was like music. "The pleasure is all mine."

He offered her his hand, which she delicately took, and they made their way out onto the dance floor. Even as they went, they parted crowds, both standing tall and magnificent in the middle of the room. She was truly beautiful, even more so when he was stood less than a foot away – her hair was golden, and her dress sparkled in the light as the room's candelabras and chandeliers flickered against the sapphires on her dress.

Everything else fell away for Niles again when they prepared to dance. He had her hands in the correct position, and in the brief moment before the music began, he found himself lost in her eyes.

Bluer than the Mediterranean Sea, and held the promise of twice the adventure.

He was only brought back into the present with the swell of the music, and the subtle nudge with her foot that his partner gave him. He thanked her and apologised for being caught up in the moment. But he thought that that had made him sound particularly inept and awkward, so he tried to be more casual.

"So...Lady Bird," he enjoyed the way his words rolled off his tongue when he was trying to be charming. "You don't look much like an insect."

He couldn't tell if the lady had raised her eyebrows beneath her mask, but from what she said next, he could only imagine that the answer was yes, she had.

"No, my lord – I do not," she replied. "It truly is amazing what a mask and a good dress can hide, isn't it?"

Niles huffed out a laugh and studied her in movement. She was clearly a natural dancer, with wonderful rhythm and flair for music. She was educated and refined. Beautiful and a fashionable dresser. She had wit and intelligence...

She was perfect in every way.

Perhaps...no, it was too early to tell if she was completely the one. He had to at least finish the dance before he made up his mind. Although seeing her there in front of him, movements as graceful and refined as a swan's, made it very hard for him to think that she could possibly be anything less than perfect.

He wanted to keep talking to her, which truly had been a rarity at that ball, and in his interactions with women previously. This one was simply remarkable to him, in every way.

He was determined to show her that he was serious, too.

"It fails to hide your beauty," he told her, not even a breath of it meant in meaningless, empty charm. "Though I suspect neither mask nor shadow could dim that light."

If he had seen her full face, he believed he would've seen her raising an eyebrow, or perhaps even both.

"You certainly are a bold one, my lord," she said. It was a measured response, but playful as well. "Bold enough to declare such a thing to every woman and girl here tonight, perhaps?"

Niles felt his own eyebrows raising beneath his mask. She was clearly teasing him for a chase. And it was a chase that he was prepared to win.

"I only speak the truth in my words, my lady. Empty compliments serve only a selfish purpose," he replied. "I would never call a lady beautiful if I found her otherwise, and there have been many..._unique_ individuals in this room tonight."

That explanation didn't seem to satisfy Lady Bird, who made a disbelieving noise.

"I'm sure there have been," her eyes looked about the room, trying to spot some of the others no doubt.

He knew exactly what she was doing. For some reason, it made him start to worry – what if she did think he might've liked another partner better? He knew he'd declare his intentions in her favour, but he did not want her mind plagued by doubt.

"You will not find anyone that I think more beautiful than you," he said. "And none of them even half as witty or interesting."

Again, the lady appeared to give the impression that she was raising her eyebrows beneath her mask.

"_Really…_" she stated.

It came without even a hint of a question to it or the tone of flattered and joyous hope that a young maiden might have when she was desperately wishing that the best looking boy in the village really did love her in return. There was only amused sarcasm in her single word, and not a single sign that there was going to be anything else any time soon.

She still didn't believe him, and that made the prince's stomach tighten. How could he make her see that he really was interested in her, and not just leading her on so that he could gain something from it? Or that he wasn't then going to say the same thing to someone else, and smooth talk his way through the night?

They needed to be alone. There were too many other people around that could make her doubt – too many other young ladies he had no intention of ever even speaking to again, once this night was over.

Luckily, he knew that the gardens would be open, and not off-limits. Couples often took walks there during balls, and he'd sometimes wandered out there in order to breathe in some fresh air when the heat of the room became too much...

And he felt like taking in the night air with this Lady Bird.

"Really," he repeated, firmly and sincerely. "And I would certainly be happy to take a walk with you in the gardens, away from the noise, where we might hear each other better."

He really and truly hoped that she would say yes and that what he'd just said hadn't sounded too much in her ears like a proposition. Countless bounders and cads had taken young ladies into gardens for far less chaste and honourable intentions, and he didn't want her thinking that he was going to be one of those men, either.

Even though she would probably immediately think it. She'd immediately thought that he'd intended to use the same honeyed nothings on every young woman in the room, dangling bait like he was fishing for them and triumphing when he landed them.

She didn't trust that he wouldn't throw her away again in the morning.

But she had remained silent for some time, and that sent a spark of hope to his heart as he recognised the signs of her deliberation. She was wondering if she should go, what it could mean if she did (though he intended for nothing untoward to happen), and probably what it could mean if she decided not to go as well...

He couldn't help but try to convince a little more, even if he knew she was still unlikely to take his word into account.

"It is a lovely night out, and we would not go too far," he said. "I feel like we might be able to get to know each other better, away from the crowds."

"Away from prying eyes, too, conveniently enough," replied the mysterious Lady Bird.

"My Lady, I assure you, my intentions are honourable!" exclaimed the prince, feeling himself starting to sweat – he'd never been bothered by women before! He'd never felt nervous our unsure around them before, and yet this young lady's potential rejection was making him uneasy.

He unintentionally held his breath as the Lady Bird considered his invitation, her silence stretching for well over a minute.

"Very well, then," the Lady eventually spoke, bringing their dance to an end and stepping away from him, "Lead the way, Lord Carrick."

That lifted some of the worry (which had been creeping up on him ever faster, as he waited), and he relaxed and silently let out his breath. He obviously didn't want her to hear that he'd been holding it. His father had always told him to never show that he was worried, for anyone or anything, and that went double for women. He'd always said (and continued to say to this day) that they could sense when a man wasn't a real man, and that a lack of interest from them proved that a man wasn't enough of one.

Niles hadn't had trouble in that regard, but he didn't want it to apply to Lady Bird. Even more so in this case than any other he'd ever come across. Not that he would say so just yet – he would wait until the formal announcement, before he declared his intentions.

His real intentions, in this case.

"With pleasure, my Lady," he gave a slight bow – which he thought must have made her roll her eyes yet again, beneath her mask – before taking her hand so that it rested on top of his, and leading her from the room in the direction of the gardens.

Their leaving hadn't gone unnoticed, though. Two sets of royal eyes had been following them the whole way, and the pair that belonged to King Joseph were shining with pride and gleeful delight.

Their boy, leading a girl out of the room into the gardens in the night, where no one would see them...ah, he was already earning his place as a man's man, and he would be able to cover the floors of the palace with the number of women and girls that he'd had, by the time he was king!

Queen Marie, who was already cringing internally, only felt it all get worse as she saw her husband's chest start to inflate with satisfaction, and a smirk start to form on his face as well.

"Well, it seems as though our young stag has found himself a doe to mount for the evening...!"

He practically announced the news to the whole room, he was so loud. He was probably pleased with the fact that their boy was on a fast road to becoming just like him. Stuck with a self-image comparable to Narcissus, believing that he should get his way in everything and be treated like God's gift to women, and never finding or having love because he did not know how to respect a woman, let alone love one.

The very thought made Marie sick.

It only got worse when he continued, "Of course, stags have harems so this might just be the first one of the night...!"

That comment ended Marie's self-imposed silence, "Your son eez supposed to be 'ere to choose a bride, and you applaud 'im for peacocking around?!"

Joseph gave his wife a dirty look, "He is a man, My Lady, and men have needs – needs that are sometimes satisfied by pretty little flowers, such as the one our son has laid his eyes on."

"My Lord!" snapped Marie, her cheeks taking on a bright red hue, "Can't you at least pretend to 'ave some decorum?! Zhe whole of zhe English nobility eez 'ere!"

"I am," replied the King, reaching over for his goblet, which was set atop a small table in between his and Marie's thrones. "If I weren't I wouldn't be sitting here with you, woman."

The implication in his words sliced through Marie, just as he'd expected. He was patient with her most of the times, but the minute she got ideas in her head about policing him on what he could and couldn't do, it was the minute he put her right in her place.

She was his wife. Her sole purpose was to bear his children (something she hadn't particularly excelled at, given the fact they had but one surviving child), satisfy his needs when he desired her to, and be his demure and steadfast support throughout his reign.

To give credit where credit was due, however, he had to admit she was a good wife. Most of the times…

It was a pity that her good qualities were usually sullied by her irritating habit of meddling in his own private affairs. He was a king, but most importantly he was a man. He didn't have to respond to anyone, least of all his wife. He'd carry on in private with whoever he wanted and whenever he wanted, whether Marie liked it or not.

It was something she hadn't gotten used to, throughout their entire marriage. But he had no intention of stopping, or of even slowing down. Why should he, when there were still whores out there who could stroke his ego and other parts in just the right fashion?

Marie had once asked him if he respected her at all. He'd responded that respect was something reserved for men, and that was something he still firmly believed. The more women a man had had, the more worthy he was of respect, too. His son was shaping up nicely, to be worthy of the respect of men the whole world over.

Marie, meanwhile, was thinking just the opposite. If Niles ended up just like his father – a conniving, cheating bastard – he would end up a laughing stock and so would the kingdom. Having two womanising, disgusting... pigs on the throne would only give a reason for other countries to ridicule them! And with ridicule came a loss of respect, and taking advantage of an apparently weak nation soon followed...

Not that Joseph seemed to know, or probably even care about that. His head had been inflated with self-importance since the day he'd been crowned, and all remaining thought had been redirected to the contents of his britches.

It was why she was so desperate for Niles to not end up the same way. Not that it seemed her prayers were being answered on that matter. If he had taken that girl outside to simply have his way and then drop her like a toy he no longer wanted, at the ball where he was due to _choose a wife_, then she didn't think she could see any more hope that things could be better.

Not to mention that, by the time he was actually married, she'd pity the girl who would have to call her womanizing son "husband".

This was all Joseph's doing! That… that libertine cad! And he had the gall to ridicule her by declaring to everyone who would hear him that he'd rather lie with a common harlot than with his own wife.

"You are disgusting," she hissed, getting to her feet, "And I shall not remain 'ere and listen to your vile words."

"Then leave," said Joseph, waving his hand dismissively, "You are no fun anyway."

He didn't need to say it twice – she was gone in the blink of an eye, her elaborately ornate dress billowing about her as she went. He watched her go with cold indifference as he sipped at his wine and ordered for more food to be brought to him. She'd get over it, eventually – she always did.

Besides, he didn't have the time nor the patience to deal with a woman´s ridiculous tantrum. It was a time for celebration – a night to honour his precious boy and heir.

It was almost impossible to believe that his Niles had turned into a fine young man. He still remembered the day he'd first held him, and how grateful he'd been for his God-given gift. He would be a fine king, Joseph knew, and carry on his legacy.

Although sometimes he wished he was able to do so, he simply couldn't stop time. His boy was growing, and this night was his. Whether he truly and really found a wife or not was unimportant to Joseph. He would get married, eventually. He only hoped that his son realised just how proud he was of him, and how much he wanted for him to enjoy himself.

He looked over, towards the windows that gave to the gardens, and rose his goblet to the air.

"God bless you, my son," he said with a devious smirk, "and may He bless your hunting tonight as well…"

* * *

The gardens were just as quiet as Niles had imagined they might be, and a blanket of stars covered the inky black of the night. The breeze was fairly warm, and it made walking around there feel...refreshing...

Of course, that could also have been the presence of his companion. Lady Bird was the most interesting person he'd had the pleasure of listening to and spending time with in...well, a very long time, indeed! She was the sharpest wit he'd ever come across, had the intellect to rival any learned scholar or tutor, and had beauty and grace to match both!

She really was everything a woman could be. And he was genuinely enjoying spending the time with her that they were now occupying – time he'd usually spend trying to ply a woman with enough compliments to get her to agree to come back to his chambers or to just lift up her skirts if they were too far away. And then, when he was done, he'd show them the door – either until the next time he needed a plaything, if they lived or worked around the palace, or forever if they didn't.

He didn't want to do that this time. Lady Bird felt like a rarity, and the thought of casting her aside after some fun was suddenly more uncomfortable than it usually felt.

He...liked her. As a person, not for what he could get from her (though he knew he'd be lying if the thought hadn't briefly crossed his mind). That wasn't something he'd ever thought about anybody before, but he knew that he should get used to it if he was to declare his intentions that night.

Lady Bird seemed, in every way, the perfect choice to declare them for, too.

Neither of them had said much since they'd left the ballroom, but the little talking that had been done had been commandeered by the Lady Bird. He had hung onto her every word, listening intently to her wisdom about the different constellations that littered the night sky.

She was well versed in astronomy, it seemed. He'd never met a woman that knew about stars befo–

"Are you listening to me?!"

Lady Bird's mildly exasperated comment brought him out of his contemplation. Had… had she asked him something? It clearly seemed like it, judging by the look she was giving him! Since when did he lose himself in thought when he was with a woman? He was an avid conqueror of women's hearts, for Christ's sake! Not some brainless poltroon!

"Pardon me, Milady," he quickly replied, bowing to her, "I got lost in thought – you see, I was admiring your knowledge about stars."

"Is that so?" said the Lady Bird disbelievingly.

"Indeed, Milady. I have never met such knowledgeable young lady, astronomy-wise," he replied, "But then again, I have realised that, since you are an angel from Heaven, it makes sense that you know the skies like the back of your delicate hand."

Lady Bird made a short, quiet, most certainly _unimpressed_ noise in the back of her throat. It immediately told Niles that he might have gone too far with what he was saying, but he just hadn't been able to help himself.

But it had already done damage, in her eyes.

"I don't respond to honeyed words, sir," she told him, slipping her hand off his and looking as though she intended to walk away. "Particularly if I know they're hollow, and only intended for one purpose."

Niles felt his stomach tightening at her words and movements. Perhaps she meant to go back to the ballroom, and then she'd probably spend the rest of the evening avoiding him...

He wasn't simply being flattering for the sake of it. He often was, but he knew the difference and he knew that he truly meant what he'd said this time. She wasn't some plaything, like the rest. He wanted her to know that he was being sincere, and saw beyond the body that he'd normally be focused on.

Though how he would do that, he wasn't quite sure.

Maybe...well, he'd never done this for a woman before, but...he could probably start with an apology, and then use that to lead into an explanation that he had been speaking the truth...

He had simply spoken too much truth, without even realising.

He had to think quick, at any rate — she was indeed turning her back on him, intending to return to the ballroom without him!

"Milady, wait!" he cried, rushing past her to block her way, "I...I am deeply sorry if I have offended you in any capacity. My words are true just like my heart it—"

"And how might I know your heart is true, my Lord?" she said, folding her arms over her chest. "Men don't give their hearts easily, and more often than not honeyed words and flattery are but mere illusions of love."

Niles felt himself deflate — what would it take for her to believe him?! He wanted to lay claim on this woman. He wanted her. She had to see! But again, he had to think quickly. He was trading a paper-thin line, and he had a feeling grand gestures — those that would make most women swoon and throw themselves at his feet — would get him nowhere with her.

She wasn't like most women, and as such he couldn't rely on the seducing tactics he normally used.

He had to improvise.

"I know that, Milady," he said, giving a step closer to her and reaching out to hold her hand in his. "I don't blame you for not trusting adorned words. But know this – I have never offered my heart before. This is a...feeling I have never experienced before. My words are true, but if they have offended you, I beg you forgive a foolish man. I only thought they would be a way to convey just how...how much I—"

"Kitten!"

The voice halted him in his tracks and made Lady Bird turn on her heel with a gasp.

She turned in the direction of a figure hurrying faster than Niles had ever seen a man run down the garden path towards them, his face partially in shadow but mostly obscured by his mask.

"Papa?!" she cried, obviously surprised and confused by his presence. "What are you doing here?! What's wrong?!"

So, this man was her father...

The timing could be perfect, even if it did slightly break the tradition (in private – no one would ever know if they then went back up to the palace and ended the ball). Whomever he was beneath that mask, Niles knew what he had to do right then and there. If he could get a quick word in without being interrupted, then maybe he could speak to the man himself about arranging–

"Sweetheart, you must come right now," the man said to his daughter.

What?! They were leaving?! Why?! Niles didn't understand...!

The same questions seemed to be in the mind of Lady Bird, as she looked back at her father, "I don't understand...! Papa, what's going on?!"

The man sighed, before taking on what Niles could see was a grave expression.

"A page came from the house," he explained, starting to look like he was going to crumble. "They...your sister...they found buboes..."

That seemed enough of a reason to Lady Bird. Her eyes widened as her mouth fell open, and all of a sudden she had turned to Niles again.

"I...I have to go," she told him quickly, heading in the direction of her father and starting to disappear into the shadows. "I'm sorry...!"

What? She was going?! She couldn't yet – he hadn't finished! It would only be a minute at the most! He had to be able to find her again, and to tell her what he wanted to say!

Feeling his heart squeeze itself into a knot, Niles took a rushed few steps towards her, "Wait! How will I find you? I don't even know your name!"

But they hadn't stopped. They were still running. He had no way of finding her, and even as he continued to try and follow, they were getting further and further away!

"Wait! Please!" he had never begged a woman for anything before, and yet he was begging now, with a pained heart and a crushed sense coming over his entire body. "Please, don't go yet!"

He could only hear part of her reply as she continued to run and vanish out of sight, just behind her father.

"I'm sorry!"

They were gone before Niles could yell anything further. Part of him swore that he could still hear Lady Bird's crying, echoing somewhere in the night, but he wasn't sure if he was hearing her still, coming from somewhere, or if he was simply hearing it in his own head.

It wouldn't surprise him if it was the latter. Lady Bird had swept her way in there, gone straight through all of him and announced herself in his heart without any warning, and appeared to be there to stay.

Well, the memory of her was. He wouldn't have walked alone back up to the ballroom if she'd still been there for real...

He would have continued to listen to all her fascinating tales and pieces of information. He would have laughed at her jokes, and made his own in turn. He would have asked her to dance again, and then told his father that he was ready to announce his intentions...!

But only part of one of those things waited for him. At the door going back into the ballroom, his father was smirking at him as he leaned against the wall.

Niles could guess why he was looking so pleased – this wasn't the first time he'd left a ballroom with a girl, and his father was always proud when he told him of his latest conquest. Not that anything like that had happened, nor anything else that might have brought even more happiness...

"Well then, my boy," the king began. "How was she? Tight like it was her first time or more of a seasoned harlot than a young lady...?"

Niles felt his stomach churn unpleasantly. He didn't like his father calling her that, but he couldn't say so – he knew it was just how men were supposed to talk about women.

If it were anybody else, he'd happily describe it all for his father. But right then, he couldn't think of it.

Just like he couldn't think of going back into a room full of people having a good time.

He thought he needed to be by himself. Not that he cared to stand around explaining why – he was feeling far too heavy and like he was sinking for that.

"The ball is over," he told his father simply.

Joseph's face dropped its grin, "I'm sorry? What do you mean, "it's over"?"

"I mean that it's over!" Niles repeated, sounding slightly more forceful and turning around. "Tell the guests "thank you for coming" from me. Goodnight, Father."

He then marched purposefully away, heading in the direction of his room, shutting out the voice of his father as he tried to call him back.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 1**_

"And here is the kitchen," the Head Maid gestured around them. "When tea is prepared for Her Majesty, it shall be left on a tray on the table just to the right of..."

Lady Chastity-Claire tried hard to pay attention to what she was being told. But in her mind, she felt like she was drowning. And this might have been a rock upon which she might cling and rest, but it was a far cry from the place she had once called home.

A home to which she could never return. Not since her mother, father, and sister had all succumbed to the plague and she had been left destitute. She could not (at her age, or her gender as the law said) run or keep the house and its grounds, and no matter how much she wanted to stay, and to be close to the place she had always lived with her family, it had been passed to her cousin.

Her cousin, whom her father had once vaguely suggested she might marry, but had never mentioned again when Chastity-Claire soundly rejected the notion. Her cruel cousin, who would not let her stay in the house once her family were no more.

He had watched as she was thrown out into the streets, begging and pleading all that time, and the only remark he made was how begging might save her if she could find a good corner in London so that passers-by might toss her coins.

It was only the intervention of her half-brother Noel that had saved her. He had some friends among the serving staff and had found her a job as a maid at the palace, for which she was currently being shown her duties.

Not that she could concentrate. She missed her parents and her sister. She wanted them back, and to wake up realising that all of this had just been some terrible nightmare.

It weighed heavier on her heart every day, knowing it wasn't. She had been Lady Chastity-Claire Babcock, daughter of a Duke and a Duchess and with all the prospects in the world. And now...she was Chastity-Claire, at best, and "you, girl" at worst. There was no money or title, no family or home.

She had nothing, apart from this job.

That's why she'd decided she had to make the best of this opportunity. She simply couldn't throw it away or waste it by doing a lousy job! No, she had to be a dutiful, hard-working and responsible servant. She had to serve Her Majesty the Queen as though serving her was her sole purpose in life.

She didn't know if this new job would result in her finding some sort of lasting financial security, but for now, it was enough.

It had to be enough…

She had a roof over her head, money in her pocket and food in her stomach. She had no reason to complain. Not much, anyway.

She'd mourn her parents in private when no one was listening, and during the day she would rise to the occasion; she would be stalwart and push down her feelings of heartbrokenness and loss. Maybe, with enough practice, it would get easier in the future.

She really hoped so…

"… understood?" said the Head Maid, snapping C.C. out of her gloomy thoughts.

"Yes, Madam," replied the young woman, "When shall I start serving Her Majesty?"

The Head Maid – whose name C.C. would eventually learn was Prudence – gave a satisfied nod. She liked when the new girls were eager to work and fast learners. It saved a lot of time in training.

"Right after you've put on something more… adequate," said Prudence, gesturing at her dress. Her brother had given it to her when he'd first arrived at his home in London. Her cousin hadn't allowed her to even take a few extra dresses for her to wear!

Luckily for her, Noel had gotten her a number of new day dresses. She hadn't brought them with her that day – her brother had promised to send them along with the rest of her things once she was settled – but she was well aware that they weren't exactly the most apt or comfortable garments to work around the palace. They were too fine for her new station, as it was…

"You'll find seven new dresses in your room," explained Prudence, gesturing for C.C. to follow her – she was going to show her to her new room. "You'll also be given a set of aprons, which you must keep clean and starched at all times. You've told me you know how to sew and mend your own clothes, so I trust you won't have any trouble keeping your uniform in perfect conditions at all times."

C.C. shook her head a little, "No, Madam, it will not be any trouble."

"Good," Prudence replied without even so much as looking over her shoulder to make sure the newest servant was following. "I have a feeling that you might settle in here nicely."

If only her tone reflected as such!

The door designated as hers was down the far end of the servant's quarters, but she had no luggage to bring so the journey was not tiresome.

Prudence opened the door and gestured with a flourish of her hand.

"Here is your room," the Head Maid announced. Then a stony edge came to her voice. "However, there is a ground rule which must be kept; you must not get any ideas about bringing a man back to–"

C.C. laughed and waved a hand almost dismissively, "There is no chance of such a thing taking place!"

The Head Maid pursed her lips, perhaps annoyed at being interrupted. But she also seemed to be inspecting C.C. thoroughly – scrutinising her character as well as the clothes that she wore.

And, eventually, she gave one stiff nod and straightened her back.

"Very well. You shall begin your duties immediately, by bringing tea to Her Majesty," she said, pointing an imperious finger at the wardrobe C.C.'s dresses were to hang in. "And you shall dress appropriately, in order to make a good and professional impression upon her."

The order was clearly meant for following right away, so C.C. got to it.

The fabric in each piece of clothing itched, and it felt rough on her skin when she moved. It was nothing like the dresses she'd had back home...

The dresses which didn't belong to her anymore. None of it did. She'd not fought hard enough for it and this was the price.

But she was giving to have to live with it. So, changing into an approved dress, just as the Head Maid had requested, was her very next step.

And then she'd get on, for the first time in her life, with serving tea for the Queen.

* * *

Any man knew that Prince Niles didn't usually grow bored at council meetings. He found the business of running a kingdom too important to do anything else. But for that moment in time, he couldn't get any orders or businesses of the day into his head. That was all filled with ideas of what he'd rather be doing.

Going hunting with his father, taking down a magnificent stag or a prized wild boar.

Reading in his chambers, surrounded by good food brought freshly to him.

At the nearest brothel, forgetting that a world outside even existed under some young lady's expert hands...

He was particularly fond of a young lass named Sarah – she certainly knew how to please both with her hands and mouth! He'd given her a hefty tip last time around, and since his father had recently given him his monthly allowance, he reckoned that a visit to Sarah was due.

But that would come later, when the meeting was over and after he'd had tea with his mother. He'd promised her he would visit her after the meeting with the Council (without his father, obviously. After his latest infidelity his mother didn't want to be anywhere near her husband and had temporarily banished him from the marital bed).

Thankfully for him (and probably because his father had seen the boredom on his face), he lifted the session, and the Prince of Wales was allowed to go. But not before exchanging a few words with his father, of course.

"Son," said the King, still sat in his comfortable throne, "Do tell your mother that I am hoping she finds herself in high spirits today. And give her this…"

With a gesture of his hand, a box full of brand new jewels was brought forward by a servant and handed over to Niles; his mother's coat of arms had been carved on the centre of the box's lid.

"You know, this won't grant you her forgiveness, father," said the prince.

"I am hoping it will ease her anger, so that she might warm to me again," Joseph replied. "She cannot remain cold to me for all time."

A part of Niles wondered if that were true, or if his father was merely hoping. Not that he was going to say so – he knew nothing of marriage, and his inexperienced word would only lead to discourse. And once that happened, his father's anger always became unparalleled.

Niles had to take it upon himself to remain mostly neutral; a conduit for both sides. In return, neither side bothered him about his prowess with women (his father was actually rather proud of him for it) and he could do whatever he wanted during his free time.

The gift really was beautiful, though he still felt his mother would probably much prefer a husband who didn't stray. And his father knew this, even if nothing would change.

So they remained at what could either be equilibrium or an impasse. And either way, Niles had tea to get to.

He nodded at his father, sighing only minutely, "I shall see that she receives it."

Joseph smiled and slapped him heartily on the upper arm. The King then turned and went out, no doubt to either attend to something else that was important or to go and play sports.

Though which sport it would be – dogs, horses or women – Niles did not know.

He followed the passages round to the salon his mother most enjoyed taking tea in, and he knocked before a soft "Enter!" bid him come in.

"Good day, Mother," he greeted without looking up from the door, which he was closing. "Father sends his warmest regards, and bid me to see to it that you received..."

There was no other reaction to be had – trailing off was the most suitable thing he could do, when he finally turned and came not face-to-face with his mother, but with one of her maids.

And she was the most gorgeous woman he'd ever seen! He'd thought Sarah comely, but this new girl made each and every single brothel worker look as plain as a bowl of flour!

She was statuesque, with a head full of golden blonde hair that ached to be caressed, and lips that even just from looking at he could tell would perform miracles. Her hands were slender but strong, and her legs just the same. And her body curved in a way which made him want to reach out and touch––

"Ah, Niles, my boy!" his mother snapped him out of it, by coming from a room off to one side. "Eet'z good to 'ave you 'ere!"

Niles merely hummed his reply as his mother crossed the room to take him into a brief hug. His eyes were glued to the young maid as she shuffled back to the ornate coffee table upon which their tea awaited, along with trays full of scones and pastries. His mother had a bit of a sweet tooth.

He had never seen this servant girl before. Judging by the freshness of her features and her lean body, she had to be between sixteen and seventeen years old – a new acquisition. She worked in silence, bright blue eyes and nimble hands focused only on her task. She was pleasing to the eye, and Niles couldn't help but wonder just what it would feel like to stroke her soft skin with his fingertips…

"And what eez zhis?" said his mother, smiling down at her gift and unintentionally snapping Niles out of his thoughts.

"Oh… this… it's a gift from His Majesty," he informed her, immediately causing her expression to sour. Just as he'd suspected, gifts – however pretty and expensive – wouldn't put his father back in Marie's good graces anytime soon.

If he had any place in her good graces – if she had been asked, Marie would have been more than sure that Joseph didn't even warrant a mention in that book. He had been nothing but cruel to her throughout their marriage, taking mistresses whenever he felt like it and humiliating her on a constant basis. He'd contracted a disease from one of his countless lovers, and passed it to Marie without a thought in the world. He hadn't so much as apologised for it!

It hadn't been like during the first few years of their marriage, back when they'd had their first daughter. Little Princess Josephine had brought a light to their life that had seemed to make her husband kind to her. He'd been there, and for a while they'd seemed to be… happy.

But it had all changed again in the blink of an eye. He hadn't been the same towards her since the death of their second daughter, Elizabeth, when she had been but a baby...it was as if he'd simply lost all interest in her, in making her happy, or in...anything to do with her that didn't involve him getting what he wanted. That was, if he wasn't it from other women in the first place, and that usually meant getting it whenever and wherever he could, including just after Josephine's third birthday, a few months after Elizabeth had left them. Marie had still been grieving…

The two things combined had broken the Queen's heart, but the worst had come a few years later, when Josephine had been taken from them by consumption. She hadn't been alone in her grief this time, though – the loss of his favourite child had affected the King more than he would ever dare to admit. Joseph had withdrawn from everybody, not just Marie. Not even the fact of her being pregnant again had brought them closer – he'd wanted nothing to do with her...

Joseph had only come to see Marie after finding out she'd given birth to a son.

To Niles, their precious boy, who'd instantly received affection from his father just because he was a boy. And not just any boy – he was Joseph's boy (one of many, but the only he acknowledged), and the heir to the throne.

He'd wanted more sons after that – he'd had his heir and he wanted more. So, he'd come to her chambers almost daily, trying to secure another child from her.

He hadn't managed it, and when he'd reached the conclusion she'd probably been rendered infertile by some illness he'd given her, he'd stopped coming altogether. They spent no time together whatsoever either, and when they had to appear together in public, they didn't speak. They barely even looked at each other.

He'd truly brought her nothing but pain and embarrassment and disease over their lengthy marriage. Did he really think he could even begin to make up this latest betrayal with a trinket? A flimsy piece of jewellery that they both knew was really just a bribe to crawl into her bed and slither back out again when he was done?

How stupidly shallow did he think she was? He could gift her a thousand new pieces of jewellery, and have all the odd fancies about her that he wanted, but it wouldn't even begin to take reverse what he'd done to her!

It burned in her blood that she wasn't allowed to refuse him. He came to her occasionally, when he didn't feel like going out of his way to look for women, and all she could do was let him get on with it.

But she did have her pride.

"Oh," very close to scowling, she used the fingers of one hand to push the chest back towards Niles, touching it like handling it any more than that would stain. "Tell your fazher zhat I do not want 'is gifts. I do not want anyzhing from 'im."

She couldn't refuse her husband what he wanted, but she could make it known that it wasn't what _she_ wanted.

Niles raised an eyebrow, but turned to one side and gave the box to another of his mother's serving girls (one he'd had just after turning seventeen if he remembered correctly) and sent her away with it. He then addressed his mother again.

"As you wish, Mother. I am but a messenger," replied the prince, offering his arm to Marie and gesturing at the waiting tea, "Shall we?"

"Indeed we shall," Marie allowed her son to escort her to the table.

They seated themselves, and the conversation began. It covered a list of subjects, from the topics at the day's council meeting to the weather and to the various hunts that would no doubt be starting up soon.

And all the while, Niles boasted as loudly as he could to catch the maid's attention. By now, she'd know he was interested – they always did. They'd be shy at first, and play at being coy to make sure he wanted it badly enough. But then he'd show them, and he'd leave more than satisfied.

All he needed to do was prove to her how strong and virile he was. It had maids falling at his feet in no time.

"I fear I might need a new horse – I am such a strong rider; the last poor filly could not keep up."

"The kingdom will need a ruler with a firm hand, and I certainly know how to work mine."

"I am thinking now that the fair weather has returned, I might pursue archery again. My arrows are long, straight, and well suited for a quiver."

But, despite his boasting, the maid never looked his way. She remained stood at a respectful distance, eyes firmly cast to the floor and hands neatly folded behind her back. She was surely was keeping up the pretence that she didn't care to make him more interested. Typical of women!

Why would she ignore him otherwise?

When he asked for more tea (purely to make the girl come closer to him) he soon discovered she was soft-spoken. Her voice was sultry and pleasant, and he could only imagine how it would sound when she called his name in the throes of passion. He wanted her to scream his name and beg for more, and he was certain it would become a reality sooner rather than later.

Eventually, when they ran out of tea, she left the room for the kitchens to bring more. Niles watched her go with interest, not caring to hide just how taken he was with the new serving girl.

"Eet'z 'er first day," chastised his mother, bringing his attention back at her, "Could you please behave een a dignified manner?"

"And, pray tell, what did _I_ do?" he asked, half-smile fast appearing on his features.

"You know full well, son," replied Marie, "Zhe girl eez a noblewoman, not some common maiden – she'z Lady Chastity-Claire Babcock, daughter of zhe late Stewart Babcock, Duke of Bedford. She was left destitute after 'er fazher's deazh, and 'er cousin, zhe new Duke of Bedford, 'as kicked 'er out of 'er ancestral 'ome. Zhe last thing she needs eez you ogling 'er!"

Niles raised an eyebrow. So, she wasn't just some ordinary serving girl – she'd been raised a little better, and she'd have a sense of how affairs should be handled. Playing hard to get was practically a pastime of the wealthy girls, though they all wore down eventually.

He just had to bide his time. Perhaps give her a little space, considering her family had just been lost, but still close enough so that he could seize his moment when the time came.

And he would have his moment. He always did, in the end. He was the Prince of Wales, he was rugged in his looks, and he was charming when he spoke (who cared if the words were empty?). Those three things had practically made him an expert.

But, to currently appease his mother, he leaned back in his seat and took another sip of his tea.

"I see," he said.

Marie pursed her lips, "You 'ad better, my boy. As I said, zhis girl 'as been zhrough enough already. And you know, you 'ave met 'er before now."

Niles put down the tea he'd just been about to drink. Had he met her before? When? He was sure he would've remembered a seductress such as the one that was currently serving them!

The interested look made his mother continue, "Back when she was first born, your fazher and I took you wizh us on our visit. Joseph wanted to see 'er and 'er parents because Stewart Babcock was zhe richest man in England, at zhe time. 'e'd felt zhere was somezhing to gain from being close to zhe Babcocks. Oh, she was tiny! And you 'eld 'er, after I did, and asked eef you might one day 'ave a sister..."

That made her sigh to herself – remembering a lot of that day did. Niles' bright little face as he declared how much he liked the new addition and wanted to be her friend, her showing him how to hold a baby properly, while Lord and Lady Babcock watched with proud smiles on their faces, already head over heels for their five-day-old daughter...

The prince very vaguely remembered something like that going on as well, when he was about six. Well, it looked like that tiny baby that he'd held had grown up very well, indeed!

"Zhe two of you becoming playmates was discussed, but nozhing ever came of eet," Marie said, drinking her tea, shutting out the memories again before it got to Niles asking why he couldn't have a sister.

Niles, not remembering any of that, smirked and thought to himself that he would get Lady Babcock to play with him, soon enough.

"Eet was even suggested zhat you may be engaged to marry, one day!"

Niles nearly spit out the next sip of tea he tried to take, and ended up choking a little bit as he tried to stifle his laughter. _Marry_ Lady Babcock? As attractive as it sounded to have her in his bed every night with no one to stop him, it would change too much, surely! You didn't snatch one wild mare to ride and simply take it home with you to tame, even if it was the most exquisite! You took whichever you wanted the most from the herd on that particular day, and then let it go again until the next time! He wasn't about to be tied down to one mare so soon – he had years before he had to start producing heirs. Legitimate ones, anyway.

Lady Babcock was looking like the finest mare on the plains, as things currently stood. He'd be breaking her in with the rest of them before too long. And for all his mother's talk, she wouldn't be able to stop it. She wouldn't even notice when he'd gotten what he wanted.

She'd barely noticed that he'd choked and laughed, let alone anything else.

"Well, that will never happen; she is a maid now, after all," he said, quickly moving the conversation on. "How is your tea?"

It wasn't what he really wanted to be thinking about, but he couldn't very well sit there and imagine what he could be doing to Lady Babcock right then, could he? That would have to come later, once his time with his mother was done.

All he needed was the opportunity to get this Lady-turned-maid alone. He didn't know if she'd go by herself at the end of tea, though. And she could go anywhere, if she was fast enough – he enjoyed the chase, but the servants' corridors in the palace were so winding (and he, having spent so little time in them, being a prince and not some hall boy), he often found himself losing them before he could work his charm.

When he did get them (and he always did), it was in his territory – chambers in the parts of the palace usually meant for the Royal Family. There, they were in his power, and it was just the way he liked it.

They were in his territory now. All he needed was for something to happen which called his mother away.

And then he could start working the beauty he was eagerly awaiting.

She had to return from the kitchens eventually.

Let the hunting begin.

* * *

There was something soothing about the faint bubbling noise made by the water as she heated it up on the stove. It reminded her of quiet afternoons spent at home, cooped up in her father's study with a good book and a nice cup of tea. She remembered that her mother would sometimes drop by, mostly to complain about one thing or the other. C.C. had eventually realised her complaints were but an excuse to visit them in the study. She remembered her dearest father would take her mother in his arms and…

God, thinking about it hurt her so…!

She missed them. She missed her old life. She missed her home…

Sighing, C.C. moved to fetch the kettle from the stove and put it back on the silver tray, ready to be taken back to Her Majesty and her son.

She'd heard plenty of stories about Prince Niles' good looks, and although they certainly were as true as they could be – he was rugged in his looks and had the most wonderful set of bright-blue eyes she'd ever seen – none had mentioned his irritating penchant for boasting about his feats and achievements.

She'd spent the better part of an hour just hearing his adorned soliloquy, trying not to laugh at certain comments he'd made, and hoping they'd dismiss her as soon as possible. Was he always that annoying and self-important? If so, she couldn't help but wonder how the Queen (or any woman, for that matter) tolerated him!

Just as C.C. meant to make her way back to the Queen, the door to the kitchen was opened to let another maid in – it was Ruth, another of the Queen's personal servants. She carried an empty tray with her, clearly meant to be refilled with food and the most delicious pastries.

"Ah, if it isn't the Prince's new love interest...!" Ruth sneered, making the pottery rattle with the force she set the tray down.

The words and slam set off a warning sign in C.C.'s head, even though part of her was also certain she could not have heard correctly. What was Ruth talking about, and why was she being so...rude about it?

C.C. blinked at the other maid, showing she didn't understand, "I beg your pardon?"

With a knowing look on her face that could either mean something good or something bad, Ruth made her way to the counter. The cooks had prepared some more pastries, so she started to pile them onto the plates on the tray, arranging them prettily.

"Surely you saw the way Prince Niles was preening himself around you, like a bird of paradise? I bet you did – I bet you couldn't keep your eyes off. Like he couldn't stop himself with you."

C.C. had been in the middle of lifting the boiling kettle at that point, but ended up nearly dropping it on her own foot. Fortunately, she didn't, and also managed to keep herself from looking as ungraceful as a blind bear being made to dance on hot coals.

The prince, interested in her? No, that wasn't possible! She was a maid and a disgraced lady at that! Ruth had to just be joking around with her, there wasn't any other option! Granted, it was a strange sort of joking around, but some people didn't even have sense of humours at all, so she wasn't about to pass judgement.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, distracting herself from the previous near-accident by pouring the hot water into the teapot, where it began to stew the leaves. "He was preening, I'll give it that – but it was not for my benefit!"

Ruth shrugged, "Well, it's always for _his_ benefit in the long run. But it was directed at you, wasn't it?"

C.C. blinked again and wondered if she'd ever heard anything so ridiculous in her life. Men didn't look at her, and princes especially didn't look at her! She was below their frame of sight, and always would be. She made a noise which sounded like "tch" and shook her head before returning her gaze to the tea. It had stewed enough – she had to take it back up soon.

"It was not," she told her fellow maid. "A prince would never look at me."

Ruth's eyebrow raised, and she lifted her now-full tray.

"Oh, don't be so stupid – are you stupid? Probably not, I'll bet, even if you act it sometimes," she said. "His Royal Highness has a real _fondness_ for beauties and maidens, ain't no matter where you're from. And, after a bit, he'll get tired and bored and move onto the next one."

A strange, smug smirk came over her face right at that moment, before she continued.

"Most of the time, anyway," she grinned, flashing her eyes directly at C.C.. "I'm the one exception, you see. I have too much to… _give_, for him to ever get bored. And then I reap the benefits from him getting his."

C.C. frowned, uncomfortable – by the sounds of things Ruth was both talking from experience and enjoying every moment of that experience...

Every word she was saying sounded like a threat, too, but C.C. didn't know why. Perhaps it was a warning about what the prince was like? It was quite surprising, even as she'd heard more. She'd already known that Prince Niles was a bit of a womanizer, but she'd never imagined that serving girls – so many of them, too! – would have to deal with that side of his personality.

In hindsight, the Prince would talk louder and look her way when retelling his feats and boasting about his virility and strength. Had… had he really been trying to catch her attention? She'd never considered herself particularly beautiful, but it seemed the prince… liked her?

Why?!

She was flattered indeed, but under no circumstance would she become the latest notch on his bedpost. No sir. She may have been a pauper and had to work as a maid for a living, but she still had her pride. She still had the education her parents had given her. She still had her dignity.

She was determined to save herself for her future husband (if there ever was one), and not even the prince's charming smile would convince her otherwise. She was still sceptical about Ruth's teasing asseveration – it seemed ridiculous that Prince Niles fancied her – but if that indeed was the case, then she would politely turn him down, so he could go back to pursuing his next conquest.

She would never stoop so low as to act as his lover for one night, much less when she had yet to lose her virginity.

"Well, he won't get anything from me," she said to Ruth as she took her own tray in her hands and lifted it up, taking care to balance the teapot upon it. "I am not going to be a notch on his bedpost."

Ruth gave her the kind of look someone might give a girl of about five who says she's never going to like boys, but with an extra condescending snort.

"We all say that at the start, little dear. He'll get you into it. Nothing beyond what he wants and no feeling to it whatsoever, and you end up back down here, just the same as...well, the rest of you," Ruth held back to let her go through the door that led to the servants' corridor first. "I'll probably have a good laugh over it when I'm called up to visit him after."

C.C. felt an irritated, churning sensation in her stomach. She didn't like the implication that she couldn't keep her head when confronted with a man who offered her attention. She didn't care what Ruth chose to...do with her time, either. But she wasn't interested in the empty attentions of a man who only wanted one thing and was not interested in her as a person.

She was not going to be with a man who didn't love her, and who'd drop her just like he'd dropped nearly every other woman around the palace, apparently. She wasn't going to try and explain this to Ruth, however. She'd more than likely just keep on insisting that they all ended up the same way, in the end, apart from her.

But C.C. wouldn't allow it. She'd be the exception if she had to be, but she would not give that smug prince what he wanted.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 2**_

It had been raining all day, so the hunt Niles had been preparing to undertake had been called off. It was a pity, really – he'd seen the most magnificent stag recently, and he could imagine its antlers taking pride of place mounted on the wall over the fireplace in the dining room.

It had left him with a build-up of adrenaline that he felt could really be used somewhere else. As he hadn't been able to leave the palace because of the weather, he'd had to settle with grabbing a book from his study and taking it to one of the quieter rooms to read.

He'd honestly been planning on having a quiet afternoon. Alas, the sight he found when he got into the room was enough to make his plans fly out the metaphorical window.

The room wasn't empty – Lady Babcock was in there, on her hands and knees and sweeping something up off the floor. That instantly brought Niles' mind out of his glum thoughts and veered it to a much more pleasant place to him. He'd been so caught up in thinking about his failure of a hunt that he'd completely put aside the fact that there was a perfect hind right there in the palace who was just fit for mounting.

And she was a sweet chase, indeed. She might have evaded him so far, but no woman was immune to his charms. All he had to do was sweet talk her in just the right ways, and she would fall at his feet with the rest of his conquests.

And she would be one of the better ones. Ample and curvaceous in all the right, hand-sized places, and ready for him to grab and fondle. He could very easily see himself slapping her rear, or slipping his hands upwards and over her breasts – she'd love it, once she'd agreed.

He'd make her love it so much that she'd beg for more, and then she'd be eating out of the palm of his hand until he was done with her.

All thoughts of his book were abandoned after thinking that, and others of getting some exercise after all were back on. He dropped the novel on the nearest table and approached her quietly from behind. If his hunt was successful and he got what he wanted this time, then it wouldn't be the only time he got to do that, either...

"A beautiful woman such as yourself should really have better work for her hands," he crooned. "And can only really be on her knees for so long..."

His voice made her flinch, so much so that she lost her balance and fell on her side. Clearly, she hadn't been expecting to be interrupted by anyone, least of all by Prince Niles himself.

"Your Royal Highness!" said C.C., scrambling to her feet and bowing to him, as most of the servitude did.

"There is no need for that, dearest," he said, smiling boyishly and plucking the wet cloth C.C.'d been holding from her hands. He then proceeded to drop it in the washbasin at her feet. "Noble women such as yourself should not reduce themselves to maidhood."

As he spoke, the prince had gotten progressively closer to C.C. – uncomfortably close, at that. She didn't like the way he was looking – leering – at her, nor did she like the fact that one of his hands was moving towards her waist.

She hated to admit it, but Ruth had been right. The Prince was after her.

Over the past few weeks, she'd noticed Prince Niles was constantly looking at her and preening himself for her attention. He'd ask that she serve him at every meal, and would catch him openly ogling her. So far she'd refrained from asking him to stop, but now that they were alone (and given the way he was approaching her) she felt maybe it was the time to set some limits.

And that started with her taking a step away from him.

"Th…thank you, my lord, but I… I have no other way to sustain myself," she said, smiling nervously at him. "And if… if His Royal Highness does not mind, I shall continue with my work now. Otherwise, I will be reprimanded."

It wasn't all her reasoning, but it was all she was willing to give to him.

Niles smiled at her like a fox might smile when confronted with a full henhouse.

"There is no need to worry about that, my dear," he put his hand over where his heart should be. "I am the Prince of Wales, after all. You will never get in trouble for talking to me..."

C.C. doubted that very much and took another half step back before he could come forward again.

"I'd like to think that I can also stay out of trouble _without_ talking to you."

But the Prince wasn't giving in. She might have been circling overhead like a magnificent bird of prey being used in falconry, but she needed someone to tell her that it was more than alright to land!

"Yes," he grinned. "But certain things are much nicer in life if people are talked to. And I do believe that I could make life _a lot nicer_ for you..."

The way he said "nice" was ironic, considering it was the furthest thing from "nice" that C.C. could imagine. It actually sounded as though it had a layer of slime on top of it.

She wasn't going to fall for it. Charm without actual feeling behind it held no purpose. And there was no feeling – not from him to her, nor from her to him.

"I am not looking for...nice things." She told him tactfully. "I am looking for a stable income!"

The prince's facial expression was insufferable, "Well, we could always be in the stable..."

"Your Royal Highness!" she cut off over the top of him. "With all due respect, I have no interest in having...that kind of thing with you."

Much to C.C.'s annoyance, Prince Niles merely scoffed and he gave yet another step forward, forcing C.C. to give a step backwards. To her horror, she realised that the prince had backed her into a wall and, before she could slip from his grasp, he put his hands either side of her head.

"I doubt that very much," he crooned, pressing his body against hers, "Especially since my favourites get… special treatment."

The words were enough to make C.C.'s skin crawl.

"What makes you think that I want special treatment from _you_?" she asked disgustedly.

The prince looked at her, "Oh, come now, my dear – my attentions are very much sought after amongst young, beautiful women. They fight for my favour and I am handing it to you...!"

C.C. was about to say that she'd happily hand it right back when the prince spoke again.

"My favour comes with many benefits, too," he said, leaning in towards her. "Let me demonstrate one of them to you..."

Fear gripped at C.C.'s heart in that split second. He was leaning in to kiss her!

Well, her fight and flight responses were having none of that!

So, taking advantage of the fact that he'd closed his eyes to catch him off-guard, she grabbed at his shoulders and shoved them roughly away.

The prince staggered, astounded by her strength, but managed to balance himself.

Not that getting his footing back made it any better. This was something that had never happened before, and it had hit him like a slap in the face.

Lady Babcock, this curvaceous maid who'd make a fine bit of fun for an afternoon, had just shoved him away?! She'd physically told him no?!

He just didn't understand it! He always got his way with women! From the highest of highborn ladies to sluts and whores who'd been born in the gutter; they practically queued up to open their legs for him or spend a few hours in his bed before being tossed out! What on Earth made this maid think she was any different to any of them?!

It was insolence. Pure insolence on her part, to imagine that she was more special than they were! The only one there who got any special treatment was him, from every woman that he met and seduced, and that was the way things were supposed to be!

Not that things had gone the way they were supposed to be. She should have been on her knees in front of him right then, taking everything he gave her! She had no right to have shoved him so far away!

The fact that it was away from her was C.C.'s main concern.

"You… how dare you?!" snapped the prince – never in his life had a woman pushed him away! Never. They all swooned over him, and practically threw themselves at his feet for his interest in them, if not for what he could give them in return for certain… _favours_.

How dare this insignificant girl, noble or not, push him away as though he were a common man? Didn't she know he was to be her king?!

"It's me who should be asking that question!" exclaimed the maid, "How dare you force yourself on me?!"

"I am your prince! Your future king! You can't–"

"You are not above the law, my lord," barked C.C., contempt and ire dripping from her every word, "Rape and sexual assault are punished by law, and what you just did borders on that."

Silence hung in the air as what she'd said (and its implications) hit home. Niles knew the courts would probably take his side if it came down to that. The word of a prince against the word of a common woman would only ever have one outcome.

And that...didn't feel right to him. He didn't care much about how his conquest felts when he fucked and dropped them, but he wasn't some monster who forced himself on women! Was he…?

Had he crossed a line? It…looked like it, in hindsight. And it was making feel uncomfortable – he wasn't ever like that, normally. He was a charmer, not a monster, and he really did enjoy the chase and eventual reward. His father had taught him that men who needed to force themselves on a woman to get sex instead of rightfully charming and taking them, weren't real men at all! He'd seen that disgusting behaviour in the military and he'd promised himself that he'd never turn into those animals who'd claimed that a woman seen, was a woman free for the taking.

What had he been thinking?!

His eyes must've been widening because C.C.'s own gaze grew more triumphant.

"It's just as I thought," she said before she turned away to leave.

She knew she'd won this, for the time being. And she was going to make it out of the room with nothing lost, nothing gained.

She'd come back later, and discreetly finish cleaning before anyone noticed.

Long after he'd gone.

She packed up her cleaning implements, all the while keeping an eye on the prince. She wanted him to stay exactly where he was – preferably even farther away!

She had no interest in kissing him or even letting him think that she might want to kiss him. He was an arrogant boor who wanted nothing but to use women. He was spoiled, entitled, and completely and utterly repulsive.

Why any woman would want him, she didn't understand. What she did understand was that she would never fall for that empty charm, made attractive only by wealth and power but completely lacking all substance.

Once she had all her things, she marched towards the door and only looked back once more to glare at the prince. Without giving him time to attempt anything else and without bowing or asking for permission, she scurried out of the room, leaving the prince alone with his troubled thoughts.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 3**_

The corridors of the palace had felt darker recently, even though autumn had only just begun. As had most other places both inside and outside the palace, if Niles was being honest. He knew his own tempestuous mood had something to do with it, but he chose to turn the anger outwards, rather than focusing it on himself.

It was all that maid's fault! If she had given in to him once – just once – this would all have been over by now! He wouldn't have to keep on asking, or trying in various ways to get her to swoon and fall at his feet like other girls.

He'd be in a better mood if he'd had what he wanted, and then he'd be off chasing the next available young thing that he saw.

This one giving him the runaround had kept him from doing so. He'd been spending all his time and energy on her – he'd obviously approached her many other times after that fateful day when she'd accused him of assaulting her, but always with no luck – and the money he reserved for his brothel visits was burning a considerable hole in his pocket, unused and going to waste. He hadn't even looked for free opportunities – no new young maids had come in, and he'd already had his fun with the ones that still held jobs there. They weren't in his sight anymore.

He couldn't even get away from thinking about it where he was going. It was time for his usual tea visit with his mother, and he knew the maid would be there. But still, he kept going. He even rapped on the door with his knuckles, as usual, and waited for his mother to call out "Enter" before he went in.

He greeted her from the door, as always. And, just as the first cursed day she'd arrived, he saw the maid stood there as well.

She didn't look afraid of him (which was just as well – he didn't want her to be afraid of him). She didn't even look red-faced like some girls did when he began his pursuit of them.

No, she looked...stoic. Like she wasn't affected at all by his presence!

How could she be so unaffected?! It was impossible to think that he didn't appeal to her at all – was the girl blind?! Did she not understand who he was, or why his attentions were not just a compliment but a gift?!

The thought of his self-esteem being bruised like that set a small fire burning in Niles' chest.

And he knew exactly how he wanted to release it.

If she would not let him have what he wanted, thereby inconveniencing him, then he would inconvenience her at every given moment! He would make her life impossible until she caved to him, or until he lost his interest in her. Whichever happened first.

Still, he couldn't understand her reluctance to sleep with him! It wasn't like she was married or had to save herself for some important marriageable prospect. With her father gone, she had no chance of marrying into any noble family. Being his favourite plaything was her best shot at recovering some of the luxuries she'd lost!

But no, she'd chosen to ignore him. To humiliate him!

He wouldn't have that.

Trying to keep his irritation under wraps, Niles took his seat at his mother's table and, unlike other times, allowed her to take the reins of the conversation. He was only half-listening to her, eyes firmly set on the maid as she poured his mother a cup of tea.

It was then when his first idea struck.

Neither her nor his mother were looking his way – Marie was too busy thanking the girl for her services – so he quickly reached out his hand and switched the pot of sugar and the pot of salt. Naturally, the maid took hold of what she believed was sugar and poured two spoonfuls of it in his mother's tea.

Marie's disgusted face when she tried her drink was priceless.

She coughed and spluttered, too, unsure of what to reach for to cleanse her palette, with her own tea obviously contaminated. To alleviate himself of any suspicion, Niles looked concerned. He even leaned across the table, for added effect.

"Mother? Is everything alright?"

Marie shook her head, her face still partially screwed up, "Zhis tea...eet...zhe taste is more zhan strange!"

Pretending that his concern was growing, Niles picked up his own cup and offered his mother the tea from that.

He then looked back and forth between her and the maid, who had come forward a few steps to check on the Queen but hadn't gone any further when she'd seen the prince had gotten there first.

"How did this happen?" he asked aloud, turning to the maid. "What did you put in my mother's tea?"

The panic on the girl's face was evident, and in a certain sense, it was satisfying to the prince. She could have shared in that satisfaction if she'd only allowed him in her bed, but since she was a prideful little woman this was what she'd gotten. And would continue to get in the near future.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, Your Royal Highness," she replied, quickly picking up the cup of tea. "Milk, tea and two spoonfuls of sugar."

She gestured at the pots as she spoke, and Niles, still pretending he knew nothing of what had happened, inspected each and every pot, sampling the tea, the milk and lastly, the pot of "sugar".

"This is salt!" exclaimed the prince, glaring up at the maid – he cheeks had reddened. It would have been a lot more pleasant if his actions in bed had made them flush, wouldn't it? "You foolish woman! You mixed the salt with the sugar."

The girl immediately turned to the Queen, clearly ashamed of her mistake, and bowed low to Marie.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty!" said the young maid, "It shall never happen again."

C.C. couldn't understand how she'd mixed them up! She always put the pot with salt to Marie's left and the sugar pot to her right! Why were they mixed up? She specifically remembered setting them down in the right order…

Unless…

_Oh, no. _

Unless someone had switched them.

And that someone, C.C. now suspected, had plenty of ulterior motives to make her look like a fool before her employer.

"Don't worry, chérie, eet can 'appen to anyone," replied Marie, "Just pour me anozher cup of tea and zhat should be eet."

"This time with no salt," teased the prince, but a hard look from his mother soon shut him up.

To C.C., his teasing only confirmed what she'd suspected.

That bastard… she had to be on the lookout now! She wouldn't allow him to ruin this tea. She was a loyal servant to her mistress, and would not allow a self-important prick of a man to make her look incompetent in front of the Queen.

The next hour was a sort of silent battle between prince and maid. He would complain of the water not being hot enough (which had meant two extra trips to and back from the kitchens), he'd "accidentally" drop things so she would have to clean them up, and demanded that she ask the cook to prepare pudding only to reject it when she brought it up because "he was satisfied".

Honestly, C.C. thought she deserved to be sanctified for not having smashed the teapot on his big head!

But the last trick up his sleeve was the worst yet, and it caught C.C. completely by surprise.

She'd picked up the near-empty cups of tea and teapot and laid them on the tray, along with the remains of Niles' meal. But when she tried to move to the door, Niles stuck out his foot and made her trip, with such bad luck that the remains of tea and food fell all over her and Niles' shoes just as her boss walked into the room.

"Your Royal Highness!" cried Prudence, uncaring of C.C. being on the floor, dirty and bruised.

To Niles, it felt fantastic.

"Sir, I am so sorry…" cried the Head Maid before turning to her employee, who was still on the floor, head hanging low and breath hitched. "Apologise immediately for your own stupidity!"

But she didn't move.

Was… was she crying?!

She was! She was curled up on the floor, sobbing!

Had...had she hurt herself when she'd fallen? He looked her all over...and spotted a cut running down the length of her hand!

Niles felt something sink in his stomach. So, he'd not only managed to trip her up and get her in trouble, but he'd also made her bleed!

He was soon distracted from his inspection, however, as the Head Maid continued to fuss and to scold the girl in equal measure. The tea and the leftover food was staining his shoes, seeping in and ruining them.

There was no way the washerwomen would be able to get out the stains.

"Please, Your Royal Highness, I implore you – change out of those shoes and I will do all I can to clean them myself!" Prudence cried. She then turned a glare on the girl again. "Those shoes are worth more than half the wages you'll ever earn, you stupid girl!"

But the maid didn't respond. All she could seem to do was cry, and Niles bit the inside of his lip to stop himself from frowning. He'd seen Prudence shouting at maids before. But none of those times had ever felt quite like this.

Perhaps it was because none of those maids had been shouted at over something he had done.

"I will not have it in my staff!" Prudence continued. "You are finished here!"

That struck Niles worse than just knowing she was in trouble.

She was actually going to be dismissed over this!

It had been one mistake! And it wasn't even her fault – he'd been the one to stick his leg out so that she'd fall!

He'd gotten her into this...

He had to do something! He'd never thought that in his entire life, and yet he knew it was what he had to do. He couldn't let her be thrown out into the streets over this. It was supposed to teach her a lesson, not send her away!

So he did something he never imagined doing in his life. He took a step forward and held out a hand to stop Prudence's tirade.

"Please, madam," his voice was firm to make her listen. "This was my fault. Don't dismiss this woman on my account!"

Prudence looked at him in shocked horror, "Your Royal Highness! This stupid girl's mistake cost you a fine pair of shoes!"

For some reason, Prudence calling her stupid rubbed him the wrong way, and when he next spoke his annoyance at the older maid showed.

"No, it wasn't like that," he said, glare firmly on Prudence. "I stuck out my leg and Lady Chastity-Claire had no way of seeing it since she was carrying a tray. I should have been more careful. I have plenty of shoes to replace this pair, so do not be hard on Lady Babcock."

Prudence looked in disbelief between Niles and C.C., who was still crying and curled up in a ball, seemingly uncaring about her bleeding hand or her stained dress. The young woman's crying plus Prince Niles' unlikely intervention were getting Prudence on her nerves.

"But, sir, I–"

"Enough!" bellowed Niles, getting to his feet, scowl firmly in place, "I am the prince here and I won't be contradicted by you!"

Prudence was instantly cowed into silence, and she could only lower her head and nod.

"Now, if you want to make yourself useful, go and fetch me another pair of shoes," said Niles, "And if I hear you are giving Lady Chastity-Claire any trouble, then you will have to answer to me!"

After muttering a panicked "Yes, sir" and throwing a brief (but loath-ridden) look at Chastity-Claire, Prudence scurried out of the room, leaving the queen and the prince alone with C.C..

Niles would not dare to look at his mother – he knew she'd be staring daggers at him, and at the moment he didn't want to deal with two upset women at the same time. First, he had to try and soothe the young maid, and then see to it that she got medical attention. So, he crouched and attempted to begin helping her up.

"Let me help you–"

"Don't touch me!" she immediately screamed back, flinching away from him. "Don't you dare! I don't care if you're a prince!"

Normally, Niles would have, at best, resented being spoken to in that manner. He was the Prince of Wales! He'd be King one day, and no one would speak back to him unless they wanted punishment! But this...it had thrown him! The rage in her voice was so powerful, he actually staggered a few small paces, upon hearing her!

He hadn't not sounded confident around a woman in many years. But suddenly he was feeling that way again.

"But I… I'm only trying to help!"

"I don't need your help!" C.C. spat. "I know exactly how you want to help me, and I'm not going to fall for it!"

That felt like a hard slap to his face – he wasn't trying to do anything! He truly and really had wanted to help after what he knew had been an overreaction from his part! He had no ulterior motive to send Prudence away or help her back up. He… he just wanted to rectify his wrongdoings!

"I am not trying to–"

"I don't care what you have to say!" Chastity-Claire screamed, she herself getting back up on her feet and holding her bleeding hand to her chest; it disturbed Niles to see her dress had become a bloodied mess.

She really needed a doctor to see that cut…

"Lady Babcock, please, calm down. I–"

Again, his attempt at soothing her flopped miserably.

"Calm down?!" screeched the maid, "Calm down?! Don't you dare ask me to calm down! Thanks to you I've almost lost my job and I've made a fool of myself in front of my Queen and my boss. You just have to have everything you want, don't you? Women, money, land… and like the spoiled brat you are, you cannot take a no for an answer!"

Niles felt himself shrinking the longer she screamed at him.

"You are a pig dressed in fine clothing," hissed the maid. "But get this through your head: I. Am. Not. Going. To. Sleep. With. You. Not now, nor ever! Not for all the bloody riches of England! I am not going to hand you my dignity so you can step on it. And if that is too much to ask from you, then England is doomed!"

With that, C.C. bowed to her Queen, apologised for her outburst and, once Marie had given her permission to leave, stormed out of the room.

The silence that followed felt like the aftermath of an explosion – after the booming sound had been expelled, the screams had ceased and all the debris had fallen to the ground and moved no longer.

And only then did Niles feel like he could breathe.

But it wasn't easy breathing. Something in his chest felt unpleasantly tight, and it was making him take deeper breaths than he normally would.

It wasn't eased when he looked at his mother, either.

She was staring angrily back at him, and Niles looked confused.

Not that Marie was having any of it.

"Don't look at me like zhat!" she snapped, pointing out the door. "You are zhe one who 'as done zhe girl wrong!"

It wasn't often he got to hear that sentence without feeling oddly satisfied and proud of himself.

But this time, he didn't feel proud at all.

He felt like the lowest man on Earth.

"I zhought I'd raised you to be a respectful and kind-'earted man," said Marie in a steely voice, getting to her feet, "But clearly you take after your fazher in zhat regard. Your fazher, 'oo 'as no respect for women whatsoever, and 'oo 'as cost me part of my life, because of 'is own selfishness!"

Again, Niles felt as though he'd been struck – his mother seldom compared him to his father, and considering the state of their marriage, the prince knew it wasn't a good comparison. He knew he was a boorish prick to women, but it had never bothered him before. Probably because his mother had never openly criticised his own actions like she was doing now.

She'd certainly never compared him to his father like that, and she had clearly taken his dumbstruck expression for some form of indifference or protest of innocence because she was wearing a face like thunder after she did.

"Nozhing to say. Just like your fazher! I must've been wrong to zhink zhat I 'ad raised you to be better zhan 'im! But listen to zhis, if nozhing else; you might ruin a thousand women, just like 'e 'as done, but you 'ad better stay far away from zhis girl," glowered Marie, "She eez young and 'as 'ad a difficult time. She does not deserve you treating 'er zhe way you did. And don't bozher coming to zhese rooms anymore. Eef and when I want to 'ave tea wizh you, I shall inform you. Now, I 'ave a young maiden to console – leave!"

Without another word, his mother ushered him away. Ushered him so far that she was practically pushing and he stumbled out of the room. He then had the indignity of his mother sweeping past him to make her way down the corridor.

She didn't even look at him as she went.

And Niles felt worse than ever.

He'd hurt a woman he didn't even know (physically and very nearly in her job as well), blamed her for all of the trouble, and then he'd seemed to have let her get angry all over again!

The guilt was gnawing at him. His mother had been right, and he knew it.

She had lost her family, her home, her whole way of life recently – and all he'd done since she'd arrived was trying to take her to bed, and then to push her deeper into misery!

Perhaps he…owed her an apology? It would have been the first time he'd apologised to a woman he wasn't related to, he thought.

But there was a first time for everything, and he wanted to give it a try.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 4**_

The walk to the cemetery had been exhausting, but it had been just what C.C. needed to forget the events of the day before. She'd been certain that, after having talked in such an impertinent manner to Prince Niles (or Prince Asshole, as she'd taken to calling him in private), she'd be back on the street before she could so much as make a peep.

But nothing of the sort had happened – what was more, the Queen herself had visited her rooms later that evening, accompanied by the royal physician, who'd treated and bandaged her cut. Her Majesty had remained in her room for a little while afterwards, and she'd apologised for her son's behaviour. She'd said he wasn't allowed anywhere near her anymore, and she'd given her the next two days off to do as she pleased.

Not only that, but she'd also told her that, if she so wanted, she would like it very much if she became her new lady-in-waiting.

Needless to say, C.C. had immediately agreed and thanked her mistress for her kindness. Marie had brushed it off as nothing – she'd said it was her pleasure to have such a kind and smart woman in her service, but to C.C. it had meant the world. This promotion not only meant a lighter workload but also a substantial addition to her monthly income.

Another good thing about being a lady in waiting was that, unlike Prudence, the Queen was known to be a kind and generous mistress. She treated her staff well, allowed her ladies to sit and eat with her (in order to have some company) and she gave them thoughtful gifts from time to time. C.C. had already benefited from Marie's generosity - the Queen had ordered a number of new and prettier dresses for C.C. to use around the palace when she was serving the Queen. She hadn't received them yet (they weren't finished), but Marie had promised that, in a week or two, she'd have a new wardrobe that agreed with her new position.

To some extent, C.C. thought, the constant presence of her ladies helped her forget just how lonely she felt.

C.C. understood the feeling, and she suspected she and Marie had bonded over that. Not that either would admit to it, but Marie was almost...motherly towards C.C.. Her liking for the girl was obvious.

Another token of Marie's fondness for her was the gifting of new embroidery supplies for C.C. – she'd almost run out of them, and Marie had noticed so when she'd visited her room and seen C.C.'s treasured and half-empty embroidery box atop her bedside table.

Embroidery had been one of her favourite pastimes back when her parents were still alive, and Stewart would provide her with the best and most varied threads money could buy. She remembered she'd had a room full of materials to embroider with, but she'd kept her favourites inside her hand-carved wooden box, which was gilded and studded with precious jewels.

It was good to have it with her.

Things were starting to look up at long last.

So, since Marie had given two days off, she'd decided to use one of them to visit her father's grave.

In another show of contempt and disregard for her family, her cousin had refused to allow her father's body to be buried in the family vault, by his wife's body, as he'd always wanted. So she and Noel had had to bury him in a public cemetery. That's all they'd been able to afford…

It was a slap in the face, but what else could they do?

When she'd informed her intentions to the Queen, Marie had offered her a carriage to take her to and back from the cemetery, but C.C. had politely refused. She needed to get away from the palace for a change, even if it meant a long and hard walk.

But she'd made it there now, and she could already see her father's grave – the lone headstone under the willow tree.

"Hello, Papa," she muttered as she made her way over, "It's been...far too long, and so much has happened!"

She was sure that he and her mother would have seen – they'd be watching from Heaven. But she wanted them to hear it from her as well.

She wanted them to hear about all her days. She wanted them to know what was going on in her life, and to feel their support.

She wanted them back, most of all, to make the world make sense again. She wanted to be holding them in a tight embrace, from her own bed in their own home.

She didn't want them underneath her feet, cold and unreachable.

But it was all she had. And she'd rather have that than absolutely nothing.

"You saw that I took a job at the castle," she remarked.

Of course, that got her no reply, but she left a small silent instant as though there had been one anyway. She knew what her parents were like, so she had more than a good idea of what they'd say if they were there.

"Noel did a wonderful job helping me, Papa. I'm already saving money, and things could be looking up."

"No, Mama – I don't believe this takes away any of my dignity."

The tears were cascading down her cheeks already. She tried to blink them away, but it didn't help make her vision any less blurry.

It wasn't fair. What had she done to deserve her whole family being taken away? What had she done to deserve losing everything she'd ever had…? She'd always tried to be a good person, she'd helped others whenever she could… and yet…

Here she was.

"I miss you so very much…" she wept, finally giving in to the urge to kneel in front of her father's grave. "And I am so lonely… there is no one that truly and really loves me, and I…"

The maid turned lady-in-waiting trailed off, too overwhelmed by her situation to go on.

Unbeknownst to her, right that instant she was not alone. Prince Niles stood in respectful silence at the entrance to the cemetery, watching her grief and feeling his own heart break for the young woman

He didn't know how it was possible, but he felt even worse than he had done back at the palace.

She had nothing and no one, and her only consolation was coming to talk to two people whom she'd never get to hear in reply again. He couldn't imagine having it all taken away all at once. It might have crushed him if he was honest.

He wanted to go over there, to try to be of some kind of comfort (even if nothing came of that). But he didn't want to intrude at the same time – Lady Babcock appeared deep in conversation, and it was something best left between her and the remains of her father.

It wasn't for anybody else to hear.

From a distance, he wondered what she was saying. Probably something about her new job and the Queen and the...

The...prince, who'd been making her life miserable.

God… he really was scum, wasn't he?

He had no idea how he would make it up to her, but he would try his hardest. He still thought her to be beautiful beyond measure and very much fancied her, but how could he attempt to woo her and still dare to call himself a decent man? After everything he'd done to her, he had no right to expect anything from her.

But he… he had to try and apologise. He had behaved in a boorish and disgusting way, and she deserved to know just how sorry and how much of an idiot he was.

He'd actually gone to her room to beg for her forgiveness, but upon finding them empty he'd had to do some digging. Eventually, one of the other maids, Ruth (former lover and, frankly, current annoyance), had informed him she'd left to pay her respects to her father's grave.

He had debated himself over whether or not he should go, but after much thinking, he'd decided that it was the right thing to do.

He'd brought with him a few gifts as well, hoping that they'd be a physical representation of his repentance. That wouldn't save him from actually having to say the words, and he was well aware of that annoying (but unavoidable) little detail, but again, he was willing to do it for her.

He remained in silence for the longest of times, just letting her pray and have her moment with her father, but when she eventually turned to face his way, her expression soured.

It was the stormiest expression he'd ever seen another human being wear, and the full force of it being directed entirely at him was more than unnerving.

Leaving her father's grave behind for a moment, she marched a few paces across the yard towards him. She planted her hands on her hips and fixed him with a hard stare.

"What are you doing here?!" she demanded to know. "This is no place for you!"

Niles would have answered that he was aware of that and he was sorry but he had to come and check on her. But he never got his mouth open before she spoke up again.

"You've especially come to the wrong place if you think you're going to try anything!" she cried, wiping angry tears from her eyes.

Niles frowned – he was a boor alright, but he'd never do such a thing! This was consecrated ground, a place to pay respect to the dead… he would never stoop so low as to try and seduce a woman in a place like this!

Besides, he hadn't come to woo her. Not anymore.

"I have come to apologise," he spoke, sounding more like a scared teenage boy than like the Prince of Wales and the future King of England. "I know my behaviour has been shameful, at best."

He didn't dare to give more than a few paces towards her, but he considered it a good sign when she didn't attempt to leave, even if he'd gotten closer.

"So you've finally noticed?" said Lady Babcock caustically, "Oh, congratulations, my lord, it looks like you might have a heart in that cold chest of yours after all! Now that you've said that, why don't you go on your merry way and leave me be? You have hurt me enough as it is."

Her saying that hurt more than words could say. He had been awful, and he knew it – any outside reminders were all salt being poured and then rubbed into the already gaping wound.

Suddenly, what he had tried to gather together to make up for everything didn't seem enough. But he gestured back towards the carriage anyway.

"I… I bought you a new dress," he said. "To make up for ruining your old one. And I got chocolate, a-and flowers, and a necklace..."

Those were all things women liked, weren't they? He had never really paid much attention before and was finding it difficult because there was no one in the palace he felt like he could ask.

He felt like she might at least appreciate his effort.

But he was wrong.

"So, you want me to wear this dress for you?" she folded her arms. "And you want to ply me with chocolates and dazzle me with flowers and shiny trinkets! Parading me about as one of your 'favourites', no doubt!"

Niles' jaw dropped at the accusation, and he began to shake his head, "N-no! No, that's not what I meant!"

He fumbled with his hand, too nervous to even coordinate his flailing limbs – God, he usually was suave and debonair around women! Why did he have to turn into a babbling idiot when she was around?! It was like the connection between his brain and his mouth broke off whenever he interacted with her...

"Then what is it? A pitiful attempt at making up for your actions?" she spat, "You know, shiny things might work with your whores, but not with me. You can keep your gifts – I'm sure they'll come in handy when you try to bed your next victim."

If it had been physically possible, Niles' jaw would have dropped even lower. That… that had been ruthless. She certainly knew how to use her words as weapons – they'd cut him deep, and if he could he'd be bleeding.

She… she really hated him.

He'd gotten himself in a mess he had no idea how to fix.

"Lady Babcock… I…"

"I beg you, forfeit your quest to remedy what is your undoing," she cut him off, "And leave."

He wanted to argue – desperately. He wanted to stay and to make everything better. He wanted to see her admiring the dress and smelling the flowers letting him clasp the necklace around her neck...he had hoped that they could eat the chocolate on the way back to the palace.

But it was all for nought. He couldn't please her – she just didn't trust him, and there was apparently nothing he could do about it.

Not that he blamed her…

He'd done nothing to deserve her trust – quite the opposite, as a matter of fact.

So, he nodded, "Alright, fine...I will go. Farewell, Lady Babcock. In a few hours, I shall send for a carriage to pick you up and bring you back to the palace."

He turned sadly to leave, seeing Lady Babcock waiting for him to disappear. She even folded her arms, eyes fixed on him.

"Don't bother," spat the blonde, "I'd rather walk."

Again, he wanted to argue that the roads were not precisely safe for a woman, but somehow he suspected she would not welcome his worry nor heed his advice. The only thing left for him to do at this point was retreating back to his palace, and accepting defeat.

Accept that, despite his prestige, all of his money and titles, he'd hurt a woman who'd done him no wrong. A woman, he realised, he now wanted to get to know better.

Maybe the first woman he wanted to know better.

"Be safe," he told her, and with that he turned back to his carriage and stepped into it, shoulders and head hanging low in shame.

He glanced at her one last time before ordering his driver to head for the palace.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 5**_

Niles had a bad feeling – an awful, bad, heart-wrenching feeling gnawing at him.

Part of it, he suspected, had to do with the overbearing guilt his actions towards Lady Babcock had caused, but he also suspected that the biggest part of it had to do with the fact the sun was setting, the heavy rain that told of the storm they were due to get was now starting to pound all the more relentlessly onto the roof of the carriage, and all the while Lady Babcock was on her own and had to walk all the way back to the palace.

It eventually got so bad (it was truly coming down, non-stop) that, after fifteen minutes en-route, he ordered the driver to turn around and return to the cemetery.

She could hate him later, when she'd returned to a warm fire at the palace and had avoided a case of pneumonia for her troubles. That was the stubborn thought that accompanied his entire journey back in the direction they had come.

The rain was terrible, but not so bad that he couldn't see some scenery – he'd seen so much worse when he'd been in the military. Lady Babcock would stand out a mile away, until the storm rolled in, and that wouldn't happen for some time yet.

He'd reached her before the worst of the weather had; he could see her in the distance, still marching along with the confidence of a person who wasn't walking through a potential storm, all alone, with no shelter against any of the elements. She was walking along with the built-up kind of fire that no amount of rain could ever douse, and the fury of the rumbling thunder that was starting to drum low in the distance.

But it didn't last for long. Niles didn't know if she'd heard the carriage over the sound of the rain, but she seemed to speed up. And when she sped up, she lost her footing, tripping and falling and smacking her head on the road in quick succession!

Niles immediately leapt out of his seat, his head pushing through the carriage window "Lady Babcock!"

But she didn't move. She was just lying there in the dirt and the wet, and Niles felt an alarm starting to go off in his head. No – all over his entire body! What had she done?! How bad had the fall been?!

He had to find out! He couldn't just stand there yelling her name like he thought she'd magically hear it!

He almost didn't wait for the carriage to stop before he flung the door open and practically jumped, missing the steps entirely. He slipped and skidded in the mud, landing hard on his behind, but he didn't care.

It didn't matter for now. It hurt, yes, but he'd get over it!

He didn't think he could get over anything that happened to Lady Babcock, all because he hadn't insisted hard enough that she return with him.

Scrambling slickly back to his feet, skidding and covering himself in wet mud, he went to her.

"Lady Babcock!" he cried out. "Lady Babcock, I––"

He cut himself off with a soft gasp, kneeling quickly down by her again as he noticed the deep red gash marring the golden hair at the back of her head, looking like an inkblot spreading on a page. He felt his stomach squeezing even tighter, to the point where he thought he might be sick...

It must have happened when she'd fallen. The cut on her hand (the one his actions had resulted in, he thought shamefully to himself) had opened up, too – she'd probably tried to cushion her fall with her hands and wound up hurting herself. But he had to swallow back the bile and do something – she couldn't just stay where she was! She was hurt; she needed a doctor! That was the only logical thought he could form in that moment...

Well, that and where he could take her.

Potts. Potts was a doctor – he could help! Well, maybe one of his assistants – they'd be more likely to tend to this for their employer. And it would still be the best treatment she'd get anywhere. They'd know exactly what to do to tend to her wounds! Properly, anyway; he had to stop the bleeding on her head right now if they had any sort of chance doing something about it later!

At least the military had taught him a few useful things, too, like how to staunch blood flow.

Shoving his hand quickly into his jacket, he brought out a long, clean handkerchief that mostly hadn't been soaked through by the rain and began to tie it tightly around Lady Babcock's head.

And, much to his relief as his stomach started to relax, she started to stir as he finished up. She blinked against the rain that fell in her eyes as she opened them, but that didn't appear to be her only problem with the situation.

As soon as she saw that he was holding her head, she let out a yelp, nearly bolting up to get away.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Feeling a jolt through his chest, Niles shushed her, trying to keep her lying down at least for a few more moments. She needed to take it easy!

"Stop, stop, stop! Don't try to move so fast, you have an injury...!"

Lady Babcock looked back at him in confusion, blinking slowly. Her head felt hazy, tight and heavy, and she must've even on the floor for a reason – but she didn't feel hurt? She felt alright enough to try getting away again!

But through the rain, the prince looked serious. Too serious to be making it up.

"I'm hurt...?" she asked, lifting her hand up awkwardly to try and feel.

Niles gently pushed her wrist back down right away, "Yes. You fell, on the road – don't you remember what happened just now?"

C.C. tried to shake her head but, finding that the movement made her dizzy, she decided to reply, "No..."

The prince could feel everything getting worse, deep in his core. He didn't like the feeling at all, and he didn't want to sit around much longer when they could be doing something about it.

"You slipped in the wet and you hit your head. I've put a handkerchief around your head to help the wound for now, but we have to get you back to the palace," he started to slowly get to his feet. He tried to bring her with him, too. "I'll take you to see one of our physicia––"

He didn't get to finish before Lady Babcock had – as much as she could – shoved him away. It wasn't far (not even an inch), but it was as defiant as she had been before.

As determined to have nothing to do with him as she had been before.

"I don't think so," she declared, trying to pull herself back to her feet. "If I'm going to go to any doctor, I will get there mysel_ll-oh_!"

As she tried to get up, she immediately lost her balance again and slipped, spinning and falling. This time directly into Niles' arms, as he leapt out to catch her before she could spill herself on the ground again.

That did it. She was injured and she couldn't walk by herself! She was going back with him, whether she liked it or not.

Nothing was stopping him – he was a prince; by his very birthright, he was permitted to intervene how he saw fit! And, considering the less-than-acrobatic display he'd just witnessed, he could safely say that Lady Babcock was hardly well enough to decide what the best course of action was in regards to her current health. He had to make the decision, and he just had.

Not that he was sure if she was truly going to be able to walk, even with the support of his arms. Cuts on the head had made him dizzy before, but he'd seen men collapse and die from the same thing. He didn't want her to get worse, because of some unseen injury, just beneath the visible one...

He wasn't even certain if she'd walk slowly to the carriage with him, to test if she could. She was already protesting against their – admittedly, close – current...situation...

But he couldn't get distracted. She needed a physician and she needed to be somewhere warm and dry, whether she liked it or not. And whether or not she liked the person who was taking her there.

So, he had to come up with another plan. One he couldn't even prepare her for, in case she struggled and hurt herself further. Without a word, he scooped her up into his arms and started to carry her towards the carriage.

Of course, that set Lady Babcock off screaming and trying to kick.

"What on Earth?! How dare you?!" she demanded, trying to wriggle and elbow him in the ribs or the chest. "Put me down! Let me go!"

But the prince wasn't about to do that. She was soaking wet, which made her slippery, and she was putting up an extremely good fight (for someone who had just smacked herself silly on a stone road, she was still tough), but he was stronger and held firm.

He didn't want her to injure herself further, which could happen if she struggled too hard.

"I'm not going to let you walk off anywhere while you have a head injury!" he shouted over the top of her protests and the falling rain. "You need to rest in the warm – have a lie-down!"

"I know _exactly_ what would happen if I tried to lie down anywhere near you!" she hissed, trying to get down again.

Niles pursed his lips and ignored the slight. He had to keep her steady and focus on getting her to the carriage, which was only a short distance away now...

Soon, they'd be out of the god-awful weather...

Of course, the more she insulted and pushed at him, the longer it felt.

He'd never been spoken to in such a manner in all his life – he was a prince! Men twice his age didn't dare to call him half the things that were leaving her mouth and women of all ages would much rather be letting him call them sweet names that really meant nothing in the long run, than struggling in his hold in order to get away!

This woman was very different from any he'd ever met before…

He eventually made it to the carriage without losing his rag, slipping over, or dropping Lady Babcock on her already-bleeding head. The driver opened the door for him well in advance so that they didn't have to stand around getting plastered by the rain, and he tried as best he could to make sure he wasn't unceremoniously bundling the woman inside.

He knew how it must've looked to her (and to anybody who could see beyond the mist the rain was producing), being taken against her will into a carriage, but he didn't intend on doing anything to cause her any harm.

He'd already told her what was going on. There wasn't going to be anything untoward of any kind. He knew she didn't trust him, so he was planning on giving her as much room as the carriage could give, once they were inside.

He settled her down on one of the seats once they were, and seated himself opposite to her, as far away as he could be in that location, just happy that she was out of that downpour and somewhere safe at last!

And all the while, he watched her glare at him.

"Well?" decorum was probably the only reason her words weren't literally spat. And because she may have still been dizzy from her fall. "What are you going to do with me now?"

Making sure his eyes never left hers, he slowly reached over and shut the carriage door. He tried not to feel insulted when she flinched away. He then leaned back in his seat and knocked on the panelled wood behind him. That set the carriage off moving, which in turn startled Lady Babcock.

Not that he intended to leave her afraid, even if she had been ticking him off on the way there.

"We are going back to the palace, you will get yourself some warm, dry clothes, and the physician will take a look at you," he explained straightforwardly, leaning back in his chair. "Don't give me that look, either – I'm only trying to help."

Lady Babcock really was giving him a dirty look – boy, he really was not used to being treated like this by women! – and she'd crossed her arms as she let out an annoyed huff

"How _convenient_," she said acidly, "That would also require me to get into bed!"

Niles made an effort not to groan out in frustration – he was not trying to sleep with her! Well... not anymore. Or better said, for the time being...

He'd still very much pound her until they'd both reached a lustful peak, but as it was, he knew her feelings about his advances hadn't changed. He did care for her, at any rate. Annoying as she was, she was also a source of certain... fascination for him.

She was just so... different!

Being used to ladies (especially serving ladies) being demure and compliant, he couldn't help but find her...noticeably feisty personality to be an oddity. Something he'd never seen before and that, much to his chagrin, enticed his curious nature.

He wasn't used to women intriguing him. He considered them simple and vain creatures, who were usually more worried about their latest caprice than about intellectual or cultural matters.

But not Lady Babcock.

If anything she had a no-nonsense attitude and was always happy to go straight to the point. Not to mention she was remarkably hardworking and resilient! She was also known to keep her feelings (and the extent of her pain, whether physical or emotional) to herself. She also hadn't made one sound about any of her wounds hurting, or about getting mud and blood on the fabric of her dress, either!

Truly, the woman was an oddity!

But, he had to stay focused. And that involved...well, not lying, exactly. Just withholding all of his intentions until she was ready to be asked again so that she'd say yes.

She just needed to be worn down. But that would come later, when she was well enough.

"I am not trying to get you into bed," he insisted. It was the truth for the time being. "I am trying to get those cuts on your hands cleaned, your head injury seen to, and get you dry before you give yourself an infection or an awful chill!"

"You're trying something!" Lady Babcock insisted, rolling her eyes and trying to fold her arms.

But Niles noticed that she laid her injured hand so delicately over her sleeve that it was barely touching it. It was obvious that it hurt a great deal. They needed to get to the doctor, and fast. He rapped on the wood again to make the driver speed the carriage up, not caring if going faster was dangerous on a wet path.

"I am not trying anything!" Niles maintained angrily. "In fact, I'm helping you! Anything could have happened to you if I hadn't come back! You could have been on that road for hours before anyone realised something was wrong."

Lady Babcock stiffened, "I just bumped my head – I would have come to, eventually. The worst that could have happened to me was dirtying my clothes or catching a cold!"

Niles groaned inwardly. What was it about this woman that meant nothing he said was presented as fact? It all seemed to translate into an opinion with her.

And, quite clearly, his opinion meant very little.

For some infuriating reason, that made her a lot more appealing.

What on Earth was wrong with him?!

"Believe what you want," he eventually said, frown firmly set in his features, "But there is no denying that you are hurt – if I hadn't come to help you, something awful could have happened. Or you could have been found by the wrong people and God knows what they would have done to you!"

"It takes one to know one, I suppose," was Lady Babcock's thorny reply before, against all decorum and protocol, she put her feet up on the seat and turned her back on the prince.

She was well aware of her insolence, but she couldn't bring herself to care. This man was no good, prince or not. She had no desire to be polite to a brutish boor that believed women to be idle playthings to cavort with and then drop as soon as he got bored of them.

No, she had dignity and self-respect. She would not stoop so low as to be the latest notch on his bedpost.

She might have been a maid (or, well, lady-in-waiting), but she wouldn't yield to his demands.

Had she been looking at him, she would've seen Niles' face looked angry momentarily. He was truly finding her the most frustrating woman in England - maybe even the world!

And he should know about that last point; women from overseas were not immune to his charms. Even if his latest quarry was proving elusive for the time being, he had racked up a fine number of successful chases.

Women truly were like deer – elegant to look at, fun to chase, and best when mounted in a fine stately home.

But this one was fighting back, so he had to make a tactical retreat. They would be nearing the palace soon enough (hopefully the journey would not feel as long as carrying her to the carriage) and they'd get her hands and head seen to, and get her drying out before it gave her a cold.

He knew he was trying to be a bit less of an arsehole after his recent behaviour towards her, but her reticence to even be civil to him was making the task painfully difficult and it was tempting him into slipping back into his old habits.

Ah, whoever said that women were simple creatures, deserved a thrashing or two for leading poor unsuspecting blokes like himself on...

Much to anyone's surprise, the rest of the ride was spent in silence. At first, Prince Niles believed that she was merely trying to be indifferent to his presence, but just as the carriage arrived at the castle, he discovered the real cause behind her silence...

She'd fallen asleep.

The exhaustion of an emotional day and a head injury were the culprits, surely, and the prince found the sight somewhat... endearing.

There was a certain something about it that made his heart skip a beat or two.

It was the oddest of feelings, but despite the pleasant warmth it had evoked, it also made him feel terribly uneasy.

Preferring to push his troubling musings to the back of his mind, he gently leaned forward and picked her up in his arms the moment the carriage stopped at the palace's door. She groaned in her sleep when she was in his hold, but she didn't wake up.

She even snuggled into him; instinctively, he supposed...!

Unbeknownst to him, the King and Queen were just above them, in the royal bedchamber. Joseph's gift of jewellery hadn't been appreciated by Marie, but he'd gone looking for her (and for what he wanted from her) in their bedchamber anyway. She'd given him an eye roll when he'd showed his face and told him to "get on with it", which to him was as good as any swoon.

It meant he got what he was after. That was all he cared about.

From the windows about the palace doors, one could see everything. And King Joseph was not enjoying the view whatsoever. He had been, previously – he'd managed to get his half-naked wife up onto the ledge by the window (part of him got a kick out of someone potentially looking out from the rain, in through the window, and seeing how much of a man he was), he'd hoisted her skirts, and he'd been about to start having his way when he'd made the mistake of looking over her shoulder.

And he'd peered down into the miserable weather outside to see his son, carrying what appeared to be...a serving girl...up into the palace, like a bridegroom carrying his bride?! Quite obviously soaking himself to the skin in order to do so?! And covering himself in blood from the reddened bandage tied around her head! What did he think he was doing, playing the hero? All for a filthy, injured maid, covered in mud that they were both about to track into the palace?!

It was unacceptable! Unseemly! No prince should be parading a dirty servant around like that in public! What on Earth did he think he was doing?! How bold had the boy become?!

Bold enough, he realised, that when the two hurried close to the palace, Niles didn't put her down, and Joseph managed to catch a glimpse of the girl's face.

It wasn't just any dirty servant that his son was handling improperly in an awfully public place. It was Lady Babcock, daughter of the former Duke Bedford!

She might've once been the eldest child of a close (and very rich) friend, but that was in the past! Stewart was no more and her name was mud now. The family title had been passed over to a man, just as things should be!

If Joseph had known things would turn out this way, he'd have never visited the Babcocks just after the girl had been born. He'd certainly never have suggested that she should be betrothed to Niles! They'd managed to avoid that happening, fortunately. The girl was not one for their family!

She was probably good for a bit of fun – her beauty was unparalleled, without a doubt, and he'd wondered about taking her himself on more than one occasion. He'd congratulate his boy later on bagging such a prize, but he expected him to be more discreet and less stupid than this!

"What does that boy think he's doing?!" he nearly hissed, not minding his wife's flinching, and then her shifting as she turned to see what he was looking at. "Has he got no sense?!"

From her seated position, Marie frowned to herself. She was relieved that this distraction had postponed what her husband was about to do (even if it hadn't put him off altogether) but she was also worried. Deeply worried, the feeling crept a little further through her very heart and soul as she saw the makeshift bandage wrapped around the young woman's head, and who said woman was!

Her jaw nearly dropped when she saw it, as well as the blood it must've contained. What had gone on out there? What had happened?!

She could only think from what she knew. And she knew that C.C. had gone out by herself, and so had Niles – the fact that he'd brought her back, and like this, suggested that it could only have been something terrible!

But the way Niles was carrying her through that awful rain outside was...so careful. Like he didn't want any part of her disturbed whatsoever, and not even caring in the slightest that she would be so very uncomfortable to touch...

It reminded her so much of seeing him hold C.C. as a newborn, when he'd looked down into her little face and then back up with his eyes shining, like she'd been the most amazing creature in all of creation.

The two acts felt like mirror images of each other. They were the kindest she'd ever seen him behave towards any woman, and hope blossomed in her heart, along with a warmth at knowing he'd obviously stopped to help her out of whatever trouble she had gotten into out there, and had soaked himself to the skin to do so – not caring about his appearance or his well-being at all!

It was the complete opposite in Joseph's heart.

A spark of annoyance had quickly become a flicker of anger – the boy could carry on in private as he was all he wanted. Joseph would encourage it, and as long as he gave his future wife children it wouldn't matter if he slept with all the whores in England.

But this wasn't in private. This was blatantly open, and a relationship between a prince and a disgraced lady-turned-serving girl was something Joseph would not allow.

"I'm going to nip this in the bud right now!"

He tried to turn, fumbling at his britches and hurrying to catch them, but he felt his wife's hand grip at his shoulders to pull him back. She might not have been looking forward to their evening, but she'd bear it to keep their son and C.C. together and undisturbed for a little while longer.

Especially if it meant giving the girl time to get her head checked over.

"You will do no such zhing!" she told him sternly. "'e eez obviously 'elping after some terrible accident, and you are not to interfere!"

Joseph narrowed his eyes at her, "Our son is wandering around in public – carrying on in _public_ – with a common maid!"

"Eet never bozhers you when eet'z you doing zhe carrying on!"

Joseph stumbled a step back but kept his footing. This scenario was different from his own escapades! He was the king, and kings had mistresses and had their fun where they could take it – wives were supposed to understand!

It was just his rotten luck that he'd gotten one that hadn't.

One that seemed to have another trick up her sleeve, as well.

"And eef you decide to go after zhem anyway, you shall 'ave to carry on exclusively wizh zhose..._zhings_ you find on zhe street," her face was deadly serious. "You will not get anyzhing more from me!"

Joseph nearly stumbled back at that. She'd refuse him his right as her husband?!

He almost wanted to shout at her and demand it - to let her know how powerless she actually was here, but he knew his wife's temper.

If he did that, she'd just leave for one of their other homes. He'd never see her again if she could help it, and his constant source of pleasure would be out of reach.

He'd have to go out for it every time, which would be inconvenient...

And even if he wanted to stop his son and the toy he'd been carrying, they'd be somewhere in the palace by now and it was unlikely he'd find them...

He had to concede defeat, until the next time.

"Fine, I won't go looking for them," he said moodily as he returned to his previous position, clamping his hands down on her thighs. "But if shame is brought upon us because he won't stop parading her around when he'll be having to look for a wife soon, then it is on your head!"

Marie looked smug, but there was also a fire burning in her eyes, almost like she wanted to say more than she was about to.

"Good," she said curtly. "Zhen your fun time eez safe, for zhe time being."

She basically spat the words "fun time", they were so sarcastic, but Joseph ignored it. Just like he'd ignore what she said about Niles (after he was done). Marie didn't get a say in any of this, so she'd just have to deal with whatever "feelings" came about as a result.

He told himself that none of it even mattered, beyond what he thought – he was the king, and what he said went. Always. He didn't have to change for anyone.

And he most certainly wasn't changing his mind about Niles and the little bit on the side he currently had.

He could do whatever he wanted with that maid in private, but he had to find a princess (or at least a noble) to marry as well!

He could have all the maids in England once he was married, including the one he'd just been seen carrying, if she was smart and went back at his beck and call, instead of becoming incensed at being dropped.

But that was for later.

He'd told Marie he wouldn't interfere this time. And he wasn't going to go back on that when she was there and had already agreed to let him have what he wanted.

But the next time couldn't be very far away…

He smirked to himself for being so clever and getting around it, before he undid the front of his britches again and pulled his wife towards him. He thought only of how good he was, as he pushed into her and began to enjoy himself.

Marie wasn't enjoying herself. Not in her head, even if her body was involuntarily betraying her. Joseph might not have wanted to make it good for her, but he did it anyway to spite the fact that they both knew she was enjoying herself anyway.

She was repulsed by him, but he pushed into her so deeply, causing a long groan of pleasure that she hadn't meant to let slip. She saw him smirk as he drew out of her again.

"Yes, that's it," he growled. "Make noise for me. Tell me how much you love it."

Marie wouldn't utter a single word that suggested such a thing. But to Joseph, she didn't have to – all he had to do was pick up his pace and she'd gasp without warning, gripping at his shoulders and trying her damned hardest to remain silent even as the pleasure built up inside her.

She didn't want to reach any kind of peak. Not for the disgusting pig she'd had to marry, and whose triumphant, self-satisfied grin she still saw when she closed her eyes. But it was going to come anyway, and when it did, the cry that left her didn't leave her throat on purpose.

The pleasure might've left her body blissful, but she felt awful where it mattered. Joseph had won again, and was going to continue to win – he hadn't finished yet.

"Don't you feel a little better?" he leered at her. "Or do you need some more?"

That was all the warning she got before he started again, not letting her fully recover so the feeling would be more intense.

"How about I get you to say my name this time, hm?" Joseph gripped her behind, squeezing it tightly as he started to thrust again. "You know you want to..."

She didn't want to, but she'd bear the humiliation if it came out. She had for years now, and she would for years to come, as well. At least on this occasion, there was something that would make it worth it. Niles would get to spend more quality time with C.C., and get to know her properly...

He had a greater chance then, at learning how to properly treat a woman.

At falling in love for real, unlike his parents.

And unlike his father, he'd have a chance at his soul being saved.

Niles couldn't stop cursing the winding nature of the servants' corridors.

He'd been carrying Lady Babcock all the way through them. He'd managed to stop one of the other, older maids to ask her for directions to Lady Babcock's room, and luckily, he'd been met with an answer.

But he'd also been given a concerned look. It had confused him greatly at first, until he realised how the scenario must've looked – him, carrying an apparently unconscious woman, and asking to know where her chambers were...

But he couldn't worry about what other people were going to think, for the time being. He had to get Lady Babcock to her room as soon as possible – the bleeding had slowed down somewhat, but she needed urgent medical attention.

Eventually, he found it, followed all the way by whispers in other rooms of what he intended to do to "that poor girl". He'd have fired back that he was not some monster, but there was no time. She needed to be lying down properly, and he was able to make that happen after a few more steps towards her unmade bed.

The only things he did for her after that, was remove her shoes (slick at wet though they were), and wrap her up in a warm towel he found hanging from an old coat hanger. Had she not been hurt, he would have left her alone to sleep it off while he looked for help, but as it was he felt it would be best if he made sure she was awake before he left to get the doctor. Otherwise she could wake up alone and disoriented and potentially make things worse before she got the help she needed.

"Hey, wake up," he said softly, shaking her a little. "Lady Babcock, please wake up!"

Fortunately for him, it didn't take her too long – she stirred with a groan, each and every movement appearing to take her a titanic effort. Her mind soon began to register where she was, and exactly who was stood there with her.

"You!" she hissed, trying to sit up but being unable to – both because the world around her was spinning, and also because Niles was holding her down. "What did you–"

"I did nothing," Niles interrupted her immediately. "Apart from getting you to your room and removing your shoes. I'll also be calling for the physician at any minute, so I'll get one of the other maids to help you get into your nightgown."

Lady Babcock cast a suspicious eye over him, before rolling it, "Right! You'd just love it if I did that, wouldn't you? You'd probably find yourself some sick little hole or crack in the door to watch through as I did...!"

It took all the willpower Niles had to not puff his chest all the way out in indignation, and demand at least some gratitude for saving her.

"Fine," he replied gruffly and sarcastically instead. "Have the doctor look at you while you're all wet..."

Lady Babcock didn't appear to have anything to say to that, and that clearly infuriated her the longer she had to lie there without a single witty comment or sharp remark coming to mind.

Eventually, it all became too much and she caved in.

"Alright, fine – help me sit up," she said, just as annoyed as he had been. She pointed a warning finger at him.

To his credit, he kept his temper in check as he helped her up, and even made sure to help her wrap herself up in her towel.

"Now," she said, pointing a warning finger at him. "After you've had a maid come and help me, you will leave the room while I'm getting changed, and turn away from the door."

"Fine then," he said, rolling his eyes at her. "Anything else before I go get you help?"

"Give me that box over there, on top of my dresser…" she grumbled. "_Please_…"

Niles made his best to metaphorically sidestep the disgust with which she'd just spoken to him (and the obviously forced "please") as he got and handed over the box. Under any other circumstances, he wouldn't have allowed anyone – let alone a maid-turned-lady-in-waiting – speak to him with such blatant disrespect. But, he figured, he could cut her some slack. She was injured, he'd been an arse to her… being kind just this once wouldn't hurt, would it?

"There. Now stay put while I get the doct––"

The cry of "Huh?!" that soon followed (and cut the Prince off) was so strangled that Niles felt his stomach knotting up. Something had clearly ruptured in Lady Babcock, and the woman looked as if she was going to collapse at any moment!

"Lady Babcock, what's the matter?!" he asked.

His answer came in the form of Lady Babcock suddenly getting up and throwing the entire contents of the box on top of her bed.

Niles quirked an eyebrow, "What on Earth are you doing?! Get back in bed – you have a head injury!"

"I don't care!" she cried out, not seemingly bothered by his judgement of her behaviour. She didn't sound like she'd care about anything that could be told to her, in truth. "My mother's bracelet – I can't find it! I left it in the box, and it's not here anymore!"

What? Her mother's bracelet?

Niles frowned. He knew she didn't have her family anymore – did she not have much left to remember them by? The way she was reacting suggested she didn't. That perhaps this bracelet was the only thing left to remember her mother by.

Niles felt a sinking feeling that he didn't really want to identify as guilt. He watched with growing panic as she started scrambling around the room, opening drawers and looking beneath what little furniture she had, all while tears started to form and fall from her eyes.

He had to help her – rushing around would make things worse.

"It can't be far from here," he said, coming to her side and attempting to help her back to bed. "But you must get back to bed. I'll look for it – what does it look like?"

C.C. peered dubiously at him out of the corner of her eye but didn't push him away, mostly because the dizziness was becoming overwhelming and she feared she'd fall if someone didn't hold her. Still, she was wondering what the prince possibly thought he could gain from helping her find her bracelet. It was some sort of sordid "she would owe him if he found it" situation, he could forget it. She'd sooner lose it forever than have him find herself owing his smug face.

Well, maybe not forever, but for long enough that she gave up hope.

She also doubted very much that he was just doing it to be nice. He wasn't nice – he was charming when he wanted something and afterwards he was nothing. She knew he treated women like they were nothing.

And she wasn't going to be just another nothing.

"I will find it, I have no need for your help."

She had no need of him, was really more like it.

Niles caught the stony edge in her tone. But he wasn't about to give in so easily, not when she could be injuring herself without even knowing. And as much as she annoyed and frustrated him (in more ways than one), he had to be the one to help.

No one else was there to. She only had him.

Though if she'd had him, back when he'd first tried it on with her, then neither of them would be in this predicament!

That thought, along with irritation at her current insistence to not let him help her, sharpened into a wave of singular anger directed at her.

"Why ever not?" Niles kept his voice level.

Lady Babcock let out a sigh, followed by a spectacular roll of her eyes.

"Because I am very much aware of what you want! And it's got nothing to do with finding my bracelet!" snapped the young woman.

Niles felt a pang of annoyance. He knew what she was basically openly stating, and he did not appreciate it!

"It has everything to do with finding your bracelet," he told her. "I would not have asked, had it not been!"

That, he knew, was the truth. He would've told her to forget about some stupid bracelet, and to pay attention to him. He probably would've offered her thousands of bracelets of her choosing, each design more expensive than the next.

But he didn't. Because the one she was looking for was more important.

At least, for the time being. The other offer might make a wonderful backup plan if he ever needed one with her.

Which he would. He had one for every lady he seduced.

But that was for another time. He thought he could see cracks appearing in her defences. She might have been about to accept his help.

Perhaps she wasn't as stubborn as he'd previously thought...

The girl looked around one more time, misery and heartbreak clearly etched into her gorgeous face. Niles had never seen such devastation in a woman's eyes (that wasn't his doing, of course), and for some reason this one time it... upset him.

He was used to being serviced and pampered by women and until very recently he didn't give one whit about their feelings, and yet this girl was changing him.

He wasn't sure if he liked it or not, but he knew it was there.

And it scared him.

Why didn't she feel like just another amorous conquest? He'd met women who'd played hard to get, but they hadn't roused this kind of feeling in him. What could it be? And why the fact that she was now crying felt like someone was squeezing his heart?

"It's gone...!" cried Lady Babcock, frail body shaking with sobs, "The only thing I had left of my mother... is gone...!"

She buried her face in her hands and continued to cry, feeling defeated. It wasn't fair – why did this kind of things happen to her?!

"I had to steal that bracelet so I could take it," she wept, "My... my cousin would have never given it to me otherwise...! And... and I miss my parents and I miss my life! Do you think I want to be scrubbing floors for a living when my father was the wealthiest man in England?!"

Niles frowned deeply, "Of course you don't..."

But that wasn't the only thing that had struck him in what she'd said. There was another little detail she hadn't mentioned before that apparently no one had told him.

"Wait...what do you mean, your cousin would've never given it to you otherwise?"

Taking her hands away from her face, Lady Babcock sniffed. She then proceeded to pull a soggy handkerchief out from her bodice (the sight would've excited him before, had the situation not been so utterly grave), dab at her eyes and delicately wipe her nose.

"My cousin – the new Duke of Bedford," she said bitterly. "He is the reason I'm here. After my parents died, he inherited everything and, since I'd refused to marry him, he kicked me out of my own house, and left me with nothing!"

It had all come out like a flood during a heavy rainstorm, and Niles was astonished. He'd heard things about Lady Babcock's family, but he'd never heard about her cousin. The new wealthiest man in England, he was guessing.

And it had clearly all come at this woman's expense.

That...made him feel rather guilty, as it so happened.

He'd been so hard-set on taking her to bed that he'd missed the pain she was in. Why should she trust him as a man when it was her refusal to marry one that had brought on her current plight? Life wasn't fair, he knew that, but her suffering had touched him in a way he'd never experienced before.

His father had taught him to only care about himself – he'd drilled into his head that his position as future king put him above others and that his wishes came first and foremost. He'd told him that nothing but what he felt mattered, especially when it came to engaging with the opposite sex...

And yet...

And yet her tears were making those words fall flat. Proving them to be a fallacy.

He was frustrated – _she_ made him frustrated. And angry. And upset...

But right then his feelings were unimportant. He was acting like a spoiled child who hadn't been given what he wanted. It was only when he'd been faced with real pain, real suffering, that he'd realised just how frivolous his problems were. How irrelevant.

This woman was hurting more than he'd ever hurt in his life, and the honourable thing to do – the thing a true gentleman would do – was try to make the ache go away.

Gently, he helped her back to bed and, once she was settled, he sat by her side, always taking care not to startle her and keeping a respectful and decorous distance between them.

For the first time in his life, he was putting others first.

"Lady Babcock," he spoke in a soft (and what he hoped was soothing) voice, "I cannot claim to know what you've gone through. I do not know how to make the pain of loss go away..."

He made a pause; he'd never felt this nervous in his life before...

How curious...

"... but I promise you I'll try and find that bracelet," he eventually said, "I have behaved like a disgusting pig towards you, and for that I apologise. But believe me when I tell you that, if you give me the opportunity, I'll try and make things better. I'll find that bracelet, and, if you so wish, we could... maybe have tea some other time?"

Lady Babcock looked at him curiously. She probably couldn't believe that he was asking – he almost couldn't believe that he was asking! It wasn't like him to actually want to spend time with a woman. Well, at least, not time that didn't end with him getting what he wanted from her.

But funnily enough, all he could currently think to want was tea with her.

He watched as she shifted about where she was sat. Perhaps she was weighing up the options, and deciding if it was a good idea. He hoped she thought it was – they wouldn't be alone in the room, and he would never do anything so vile as to force himself on her.

He'd never do that to a woman. His own needs might've always come first, but he'd always make sure the woman wanted it.

And he was right – C.C. had been weighing up her options. She didn't know why he'd suddenly apparently changed personality, but he looked and sounded...well, more like a polite gentleman. More like she'd imagined a prince should be, not the disgusting boor she'd been subjected to for so long.

And he really did sound like all he wanted was tea.

So, she took in a deep breath, and answered, "Well...alright."

Niles started to beam, "Oh Lady Babcock, thank yo–"

She cut him off with a warning finger, "But _just tea_. The minute it becomes anything else, I will take my leave and you shall never hear from me again. Do we have an agreement?"

Had any other person used that tone with him, he'd have demanded that he or she begged for his forgiveness if they didn't want to risk being flogged.

But, well... he didn't really mind if she spoke to him insolently. Lady Babcock had more than enough valid reasons to warn him that he ought to toe the line. And he was certainly planning on being nothing but a perfect gentleman with her.

"We do, Lady Babcock," he said, beginning to smile a little, "But now, I really think you ought to be seen by the royal physician. The cuts in your hands need to be cleaned and the wound in your head checked."

Again, she fixed him with a strange look, almost as if she were evaluating his words, but in the end, she merely nodded. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, her hand and head were throbbing, and she really couldn't refuse a doctor when one was being offered to her.

"Alright then," she said, gesturing to the door. "I will see a doctor. Could you get someone to help me get dressed, too?"

The first part pleased Niles no-end, and he rose from his seat with a wider smile. The second part... well, not so much, but he had to stay true to his word.

"At once, my lady," he said. "And I'll see to it that the physician is brought at once."

Checking that she was alright in getting up as she went to look for her things from over his shoulder, he then began to make his way towards the door.

But he was stopped by her voice.

"Your Royal Highness...?"

He didn't know if her tone meant something was wrong or not. Was she uncomfortable? In pain? He couldn't live with himself if she was trying to warn him that something really bad was happening, so he had to turn back to face her properly.

"Yes, Lady Babcock?"

C.C. managed a faint smile, "Thank you...for your promise about my bracelet."

That let relief flood Niles' heart. He smiled warmly and nodded.

"You are most welcome," he said, and then was off to look for a maid.

It didn't take him too long to find one. Servants worked in shifts in the palace, so there would probably always be someone about downstairs – there actually was a maid fairly close by. She looked like she was trying not to be seen when he spotted her.

"What were you hiding from?" he asked.

The maid shifted uncomfortably, looking ashamed of herself.

"Wasn't 'iding, Your Royal 'ighness. I was...supposed ta be keepin' an eye out. The others – when they saw you with C.C., they...they feared that–"

Niles stopped her right where she was, "Say no more, girl. But know this; I am not that kind of man. Lady Babcock needs my help, and now she needs you as well – she has sustained an injury to the head and needs immediate medical attention. Your task is to help her into clean clothes while I fetch the royal physician."

With a quick "Yes, my lord" and a curtesy, the maid dashed off. Niles watched her go with a lingering sense of hurt. He couldn't believe his own servants thought so little of him! He wasn't a bad man – he'd never force himself on a woman. He despised men who did. Yes, he'd used women before and considered them to be playthings to entertain himself with, but he'd never do something as vile as raping a woman! Men who needed to use force to take a lady to bed didn't deserve to be called men at all.

But maybe, just maybe, he'd earned himself something of a reputation as a heartless cad. Considering his actions, how could people know where he'd draw the line? There was a fine line between being a cur and being an abuser, and he may or may have not treaded it too many times.

Releasing an annoyed huff, Niles turned on his heels and set off to get her a doctor. He hoped keeping busy would help keep his mind distracted from the many uncomfortable realisations about his personality.

For the first time in his life, Prince Niles was beginning to feel ashamed.

Not that he knew so, but it was a sign that change was coming, and it would catch him devastatingly off guard.

The room was completely silent when Joseph opened his eyes. Apart from deep, even breathing coming from next to him.

Excellent. Marie was asleep – his prowess had overcome her, like it would always do, and he was free to leave.

Free to go and have a talk with his son about how he should and shouldn't be parading his women around. Perhaps he'd somehow convince him to drop the former Lady Babcock too, and prevent any more humiliation for their family!

And it might open the girl up to...other possibilities. She seemed too focused on the boy to even consider trading up, currently.

But who knew what would happen once he'd seen about Niles?

Easing himself up and swinging his legs out of bed, he prepared to go grab his britches, which had been discarded before he'd even made it to the bed. Much like the rest of his clothes.

But as he tried to push himself up and off the bed, a hand darted out and grabbed his wrist. Starting, he spun to face where it had come from, only to come across another pair of glaring eyes across the bed.

Marie. As naked as he was and very much awake.

"Eef you zhought zhat I was stupid enough to believe you would not interfere, zhen you were very wrong."

Joseph tried not to deflate – no, he purposefully chose not to. No matter his surprise at her being awake, or knowing what he was going to do, he was going to hold it in. Instead, he calmly reminded himself who he was and puffed out his chest.

"I'm the king here, not you," he snapped. "I can do as I please."

Marie released his arm and eased herself into a more comfortable lounging position.

"As can I, eef I must remind you," she told him. "As queen, I may do as I please as well. And I may choose to exercise zhis right, eef you even zhink of going to talk to Niles."

Joseph's mouth formed a line, "Is that supposed to be a threat? What on Earth could you possibly do?"

Marie shrugged casually, "Go away to France, of course. Tomorrow, and until furzher notice. Per'aps forever. Eet will make no difference to me what 'appens 'ere after."

That felt like a slap in the face to Joseph, but it wasn't one that he was going to let floor him. He didn't enjoy letting her win, and he'd do everything possible to make sure she didn't.

And in this case, he was sure she couldn't.

"You can't leave," he told her. "We are married, and in the eyes of God, you are bound to live in my home!"

It appeared that Marie had – annoyingly – thought of that, too.

"Hm. True. Zhen per'aps I will not leave," she looked at him pointedly. "I will simply move to one of our many ozher castles, palaces or stately 'omes. Living in your 'ome, just not wizh you. Or your..._needs_."

She cast her eyes down towards his now limp manhood, and Joseph knew full-well what she was implying. She knew he was less inclined to go to brothels these days – travelling made him tired, and most of the ladies who came to work or to visit the palace were...well…starting to get put off by his age.

He was running out of options, and she was one of the few left.

The frustration of being backed into a corner (and not being the one doing the cornering) was making his chest tighten. He didn't like it one bit.

And he was going to put an end to it.

So, as much as he thought of what he had planned as the coward's way out, he turned on the bed and faced her properly.

He sighed, though it was really more like a groan, "What'll it take to convince you to stay, and to not...to continue your wifely duties?"

Smiling, Marie sat up more, leaning her back against the headboard and pulling the sheets up around her.

"Well, to begin wizh, you must agree to leave Niles and Lady Babcock be."

Joseph froze, nearly starting to burn up inside. Of course that was her first condition! He wasn't sure he could give that up, but the thought of not getting into anyone's bed at night and making it warm made him feel...small, insignificant...

He hated that feeling more than the image of his son and Lady Babcock floating through his head.

But agreeing to it on her terms like that made him feel as though he was stooping, as well. He was her husband – the man got to decide what happened, for everything! He had to regain his pride and negotiate harder.

And if he wasn't allowed to take it out on Niles or Lady Babcock for the time being, then he'd take it out on and humiliate Marie instead.

"Alright. I will leave them be, for the time being. They can carry on with no interference from me," he said, nodding. He then pointed at her. "But you must let me into your bed at least three times a week. And you must… _engage_ in our activities. Be present in the moment, and tell me _exactly_ how you are feeling throughout – every scream, sigh, name shouted aloud – you have to say and do it all."

He knew that would be the ultimate humiliation for her. To have to let him in, and to fall down in unabashed worship of his abilities, and to beg for more, all the while hating him and hating how good he felt inside her...it would be deliciously sweet for him.

He thought he had her across the silence, but eventually, she nodded once, looking as though she'd steeled herself for it during her thinking time.

"Alright," she said, before adding her next condition. "But I am to be zhe one who decides when we finish."

That was...not as satisfying an outcome as he had imagined it would be. He'd imagined she might get angry, or upset, and try something else before finally giving in.

He usually loved it when he had to wear them down...

But he could live with things this way, and with her condition, if she allowed for an immediate amendment.

"I will allow it," he began. "As long as we have at least three complete rounds each time."

Marie appeared unaffected by this, "Deal."

So...that was it, then. They'd finished negotiations, and...well, Joseph didn't feel as though he'd won!

He had to rectify that before it made him feel like he'd been emasculated.

He crawled towards her, intending to climb on top of her.

"Fine then," he growled. "We are going to start right now."

He tried to rip away the bedsheets, but Marie grabbed his hand and pushed it back, tutting.

"No, no..._you_ shall be starting now," she corrected him and took the sheets away herself, indicating down to her womanhood. "Eef you want me to enjoy myself and to be vocal about eet, you must..._prepare_ me first."

Prepare her...he knew what that meant. It made him cringe to think that he'd have to do something for her that he got no pleasure from, but it had all just been agreed...

And she'd go entirely if he didn't, depriving him of any pleasure at all...

Conceding defeat, he changed angles so that he was positioned between her legs, and bent his head down to start.

And even though he couldn't see it, he was sure that Marie was smirking at him.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 6**_

"Oh, Christ, _yes_...!"

Niles' cry of joy echoed in Ruth's chambers as she took him in her mouth.

A week had gone past since Lady Babcock's accident. Potts' assistant had told him that it was lucky that he'd found her when he did – otherwise he wasn't sure she'd have made it! He'd cleaned and bandaged her cut, and had prescribed her ten days of bed rest. Lady Babcock had loudly complain about her not possibly being able to spend all that time resting since she had to work, but the Prince had shot that one down by giving her paid leave for all the time she'd be indisposed (a course of action which Queen Marie had supported, when she'd been informed about it).

He'd visited her often, throughout her convalescence. Mostly on the occasions when the doctor had had to go to her rooms to clean her wounds and change her bandages. They'd make small talk during the process, more often than not.

Not that the Prince would admit to it, but he'd grown to enjoy their little talks, and was more than happy when, after she'd been given the all clear by her doctor, they'd finally been able to agree on a date to have tea together.

It had taken forever (although in reality it had only been five days), but the day had finally arrived.

Still, his tea with Lady Babcock wasn't the only reason why the day would be memorable for the prince. His little… _reunion_…with Ruth had spiced things up real nice!

He hadn't originally intended to sleep with her that day, but after weeks of self-imposed celibacy, he'd really needed certain needs met. That's why he'd approached her morning.

Ruth had been one of his better on-again, off-again lovers over the years. He'd gone to her fairly frequently, both because it was convenient (her bed was within walking distance) and because it never took more than a few charming words for her to agree. Of course that her favours for him often did get _her_ favours in return – he'd spent quite a sum of money on things for her, in return for what she could give him – but he quite liked that exchange. It was almost as though she owed him for something he had done for her, and that gave him a kind of power he was very happy to wield.

She'd been oddly aloof that morning, though, when he'd first approached her. Usually, she'd be offering herself any chance she got, but she'd been uncharacteristically cold to him. Still, it had only taken him offering some extra gold and a new necklace for her to agree to have him again.

Right then, it was a change of pace from the two celibate months he'd had – she was there, she was willing and, more importantly, he'd really needed some loving. Well, not "loving", as such – there weren't any feelings like that attached to what they were doing. She was simply another willing and available body, who just so happened to get something out of what he wanted.

And there wasn't wrong with that in the slightest. It was how he preferred to conduct most – if not all – of the times that he had women.

"God... yes... yes, suck it just like that..." he groaned, pleasure beginning to overtake his senses.

This one was certainly good. She always had been. But this time, it was getting to the point that his eyes were very nearly rolling back in his head.

If he could get it like this every time, he'd never have another complaint again!

It was lucky the maid had the morning off, or he'd...he'd...

"God, I am about to explode…" he grunted forking his fingers through her red hair before yanking at it to pull her away from his member. He couldn't allow himself to finish in her mouth, no matter how enticing the prospect might sound. If he did so, it was game over, and he was not ready for it to be over.

Not yet.

He roughly threw her on her bed, giving her just enough time to get on all fours and ready to welcome him inside her. They'd tried several positions over the years, but doggie-style was their go-to position, given the nature of their relationship. It simply made no sense to shag in positions that would give them little pleasure.

Not to mention they both were into rough sex. At least when they were in bed together.

"What a lovely ass I see," he teased as he positioned himself behind her, "Perfect for slapping!"

As if to emphasise his point, he gave Ruth's backside two hard slaps, relishing in the feeling of her bare skin surrendering against his open hand. He smirked as the creamy skin of her buttocks turned a bright shade of red. He loved marking his quarries.

Seeing the outline of his hand firmly imprinted on a woman's backside fed his ego, as it was. And Ruth's backside had been marked by him many a time. She'd been branded. And now…

Now it was time to ride her.

He pushed into her roughly, one of his hands grabbing at her flowing red hair and yanking at it as he began to thrust. The feeling was exquisite – it was almost like touching the sky, he thought. Despite having been used plenty of times (and by plenty of men, he was certain), she was incredibly tight. Over and over again he pushed into her, fastening the pace and becoming rougher with each drive inwards.

"Oh, my lord, you…you are so good!" she moaned as she lowered her upper body onto the bed, her arms having gotten tired of holding it, "Harder…go harder…!"

He never usually did as he was told (he was the prince, why would he do as other people told him to, rather than the other way round?), but he always got spurred on when a woman yelled something like that out. It was the one time he ever let a woman tell him what to do, and he was willing to let it happen.

Especially when he gained something from it.

Well, mostly because he gained something from it, really. If it had all been about her, then he wouldn't have bothered. His own father had been the one to teach him how it all worked – if the man wasn't getting anything from it by the end, then there was truly no point.

Not that he should really be thinking about his father. There were much better things to focus on – like the feeling of Ruth's cunt pulsating around his manhood as he thrust even harder than he had done before.

"Yes...oh, yes, my lord! Keep going, you are so good...!"

He knew he was good. She wasn't the first to tell him so, and he knew that she wouldn't be the last.

But he didn't think the next time with some other agreeing (and agreeable-looking) wench would ever be like this!

She was so damn tight, and he could feel himself starting to slip – he could feel himself starting to lose control over his body. Not that he wanted to. Again, if he allowed himself to climax, the fun would be over, and he was having far too much fun to bring what they were doing to an end.

Without warning, he slipped out of her, rolled them over until she was sitting on his lap, and helped her sheath his manhood inside her warm cunt. He loved it when women rode him, and Ruth was well aware, so she was soon moving up and down his manhood at a frenzied pace. Just like Prince Niles, she was seeking relief, but she sure as hell got a kick out of dragging on the moment they were in.

He aided her with his fingers, unable to resist the sight of her taking his whole length in and out over and over again. His touch made it harder for her to concentrate, and she was soon crying out his name, having reached her first peak.

Prince Niles, being the experimented lover he was, took complete advantage of her momentary lapse of attention, again rolling them over until Ruth was on her back and he was hovering over her. He quickly hooked both of her legs over his shoulders and pushed into her with no mercy or gentleness – his mind was after one thing and one thing alone: pleasure.

And when he eventually got to the point where he simply could no longer hold his climax back, he barely had time to slip out of her before he came. He was very careful about where he culminated – after having impregnated one of his lovers a few years ago, Lady Spencer (she and their child had sadly died in childbirth), he knew he simply couldn't indulge himself whenever he wanted. Sometimes it was inevitable, but when he could prevent it, he did so.

Besides, climaxing _on_ her was just as fun as doing so _in_ her.

It was another element of dominance and control that he liked, letting it all go just wherever he wanted. When he did pick his next one, she'd just have to get used to the fact that he was the one in charge – he wasn't going to hold back on her account.

That was also why he was sure that it wouldn't be as good. Ruth already knew all of this; he didn't have to tell or train her, like he did for some.

They both collapsed after that, Ruth being in the near-raptured state of being that he often left women in for quite a while afterwards. Their chests were heaving and hearts were racing in their chests, but even then they didn't even attempt to hold one another. Ruth had long since learnt that the prince disliked any attempts at romanticism while in bed with her. He was happy to simply lie there, limbs entangled as their bodies recovered from the intense experience they'd just shared.

Eventually, once her breathing had returned to normal, Ruth lifted herself up from the bed.

"My lord left quite a mark on me today," she grinned, admiring the stain he had put on her. "I must get a cloth before it ends up somewhere the whole world will see...!"

With that, she hurried off, and Niles smirked to himself. He didn't care who saw it or didn't – it was yet another mark of his manhood, and of his prowess.

All the world could see that he'd had that woman and it would make no difference to him. As long as they thought him virile for it.

She'd certainly earned her keep that day, he thought as he stretched his arms out underneath her pillow. Maybe some nice trinket would do the trick, and sweeten the deal for the next time he decided he needed a quick fix.

Something like...like a..._bracelet_?

He hadn't just thought of that. Underneath Ruth's pillow, there was a bracelet! He could feel it, and he pulled it out to take a better look. It was...rather beautiful. Made of gold and studded with precious stones of all sorts...

It would be worth far too much for Ruth to have bought it. This one little thing was worth more than any maid would ever be able to afford in a lifetime!

But it wasn't out of the price range of a duke's family, he thought to himself. And, from everything he could remember, it fit the exact description of the one Lady Babcock had lost.

Had...had Ruth gone into her room and stolen the bracelet? Obviously, she had to have done! It had been missing for so long now, and nobody kept a bracelet under their pillow for safekeeping!

She'd obviously been trying to hide the thing!

He sat up, suddenly no longer in the pleased and relaxed mood he'd been in previously. Ruth had her back to him, but he held the bracelet up in his closed fist anyway. He wanted the startled look on her face when she turned. It might lead to him learning all that he needed to know.

"Where did you get this?"

As expected, Ruth turned. At first, her face held confusion, but when she spotted what he was talking about, Niles was sure that a flash of panic went through her eyes. Before they settled back on a casual look, that told him she might have formed some sort of story in her head.

"Oh that, my lord? I bought it in the marketplace, from quite a craftsman of cheap jewellery," she offered him a smile. It didn't quite seem to reach her eyes. "He gave me a wonderful price."

"No he didn't," Niles replied immediately.

Ruth blinked, obviously feigning innocence, "My lord?"

Not that Niles was believing it. There was no way that her story made sense!

"You can't have done. Because there was no "maker of fine but cheap jewellery", was there? You got this from somewhere inside the palace!"

Ruth stiffened, her countenance now affecting one of shocked horror.

"My lord! I bought that little treasure with my own money! Why on Earth would you think such a thing as to believe that I took it?!"

Niles rose to his feet, now getting downright sick of the lie. He shook the bracelet at her, not wanting to damage it but also unable to help himself in his growing anger.

"Because there are no jewellers willing to pay a cheap price for proper gold and real gemstones. Because proper gold and real gemstones cost more than it does to keep you on as a servant," he then leaned in, speaking dangerously. "And, perhaps most importantly of all, because Lady Babcock told me that she has been missing a bracelet, and she described this exact one to me. Care to explain that?"

Silence reigned for a few minutes, but Ruth must have weighed up her options in terms of how things could get worse (and Niles certainly believed they could see them doing it if she didn't admit to her barefaced lie) because she eventually spat out an answer.

"She doesn't deserve it! The stupid little cow has no right to go parading about her things like she's so much better than the rest of us!" snapped the maid, beginning to pace around the room. "She thinks she is so much better than us now that she's lady-in-waiting! I was sent to clean her room and I found the bracelet there – Finders keepers and whatnot."

Niles had to stop himself from letting his jaw drop. He couldn't believe what he was hearing!

Ruth really had just told him that she'd stolen Lady Babcock's bracelet! And that she was not going to return it! He remembered Lady Babcock saying that it had been her mother's bracelet...her last remaining connection to her family...

It took an extraordinarily cruel person to refuse to give that back, and Niles suspected that Ruth would have found out what that piece represented to Lady Babcock! The disgusting wench had lied and cheated as though there was nothing wrong going on. She only cared about what she could gain from everything and everyone, and that apparently included stealing from innocent people!

Well, not for much longer. He was going to make her regret this for as long as she lived!

And he was definitely going to make her regret the vile things she'd just spewed out about Lady Babcock!

"How dare you say that about her?!" he barked. "That bracelet belongs to Lady Babcock, whether you like it or not! It isn't your place to decide who gets what, or what fate people go to in this world!"

Ruth's face was rapidly switching between a scowl and a look of hurt. Not that he cared. If she couldn't even decide whether to be openly angry at him or to continue with some awful lie that he wouldn't even listen to, then he wasn't going to waste his time with standing there!

He had an afternoon tea to attend. And his guest for it was going to be overjoyed at the return of one lost-but-treasured bracelet.

"I am leaving," he snarled towards Ruth, putting his now dishevelled and undone clothing back on and pocketing the bracelet. "And this is coming with me."

That spurred Ruth into action. She tried throwing herself at him, begging and pleading.

"No, my lord! Please, let me keep it – it's only one little trinket, the..._Lady Babcock_...won't even miss it!"

They both knew she didn't care at all about whether or not Lady Babcock missed it. She was just trying to shut him up – and she wasn't done with her tactics.

She came close and started trying to stroke at his chest, slowly and sensually, "But I might miss..._other things,_ if my lord leaves now. And I'm wondering what can be done about that…"

She'd tried to punctuate the words by leaning in to kiss him. Repulsed, Niles roughly pushed her away, glaring at her as she gained her balance after staggering.

"If you think honeyed words and empty gestures will make me forget about all of this, then you take me for a bigger fool than I am," he snapped, taking a step away. "You are a liar, a thief, and utterly vile inside. I'm taking this bracelet back to its rightful owner, and you can miss me for the rest of your days for all I care, because I am never coming near you again!"

With that said, he turned on his heel and marched out, not listening to Ruth's cries – which soon became curses, showing exactly what kind of a foul being she truly was – as he made his way towards the stairs.

He was fuming – how dare she! How dare she take something so precious from Lady Babcock's room?! She may be an employee at the castle, but Lady Babcock was still her better, given her noble birth. That scullery maid had no right to take what did not belong to her, and he was planning on returning the bracelet to its rightful owner.

She was going to be so happy! – the mere thought of her smile made a strange warmth ripple in his heart. He...oddly liked it. Making Lady Babcock happy was making him happy too!

The little weight in his hand felt very secure there. He truly couldn't wait to hand it back to the woman – to see her eyes light up and her face brighten in a beaming smile.

She had a really nice smile. He liked seeing it, and he hadn't had much of an opportunity, until he'd promised to help her. That, of course, was his own stupid fault. But perhaps he could turn things around? Him finding this necklace could start them off on a far better path.

A path he'd never taken with any woman – not Ruth, nor anybody else.

Him returning Lady Babcock her bracelet would be the perfect way of starting off their tea. But he wanted to make sure that it wasn't damaged – who knew what Ruth could've done to it? There might've been initials on it that she tried to scratch out, or discreet stones that she tried to remove to sell for money, or...well, anything!

Clearly, nothing was beneath that harlot. Luckily, the bracelet seemed untouched. She must've just coveted it so much she took it. She was a thief. And a liar to boot – how had he never seen just what an awful person she was?!

Well, he truly knew why. Personality, no matter how terrible (or in, some cases, lacking completely) was hardly important when you were just intending on using a person. Not that he was going anywhere near Ruth from now on – not even if she begged him! He'd meant it when he said he didn't sleep with thieves.

He had far better things to be occupying his time with than with that maid, anyway. He wasn't due to meet with Lady Babcock for a little while yet, so he took the opportunity to have a much needed bath and change into cleaner, more presentable clothes. The last thing he wanted was to look or smell bad when Lady Babcock arrived. That worry extended to the state of the actual space where they'd have their tea, so once he was ready and he'd safely slipped her bracelet into his pocket, he hurried to the parlour where they'd be meeting. He just wanted to make sure everything was ready for their tea.

Of course, the servants were supposed to do that, but it was better to be safe than sorry. He was thoroughly pleased when he found everything was in top notch condition – all the cushions on the sofa had been plumped just right, the tables were set, and the room was bright, welcoming, and cosy...

He'd never used the term "cosy" in his life, and yet here he was...!

All his ideas were giving him something of an adrenaline rush. So much so that he couldn't sit down anywhere while he waited for his guest to arrive. He was having too much trouble deciding where he should be when Lady Babcock came in. Should he be sat, so he could stand up, like a gentleman should when a lady came in? Should he be stood anyway, and just not sit until she did? Would he present the bracelet to her right away, or would he wait until they'd started their drinks?

He'd never made such difficult decisions regarding a woman in his entire life!

Eventually, he decided on sitting and waiting. It made him look less awkward, and he was less likely to drop the bracelet than if he was pacing as he practised what to say.

He couldn't believe he had to practice speaking to Lady Babcock, either. He knew how to speak to women – he had a track record that proved so much!

At least, he knew how to charm women into getting what he wanted. He had to admit that he wasn't totally well-versed in the art of actually conversing with them. What would Lady Babcock want to talk about? Would she be up-to-date with politics? Did she like hunting or games? Were there people in the palace that she knew, whom she might wish to discuss?

Eventually, he resolved to ask what she wanted to talk about. None of his topics seemed completely likely, and besides, the woman was fascinating all by herself anyway. The fact she'd survived the death of her entire close family, and stopped herself from falling into ruin, were miracles in themselves. But he was not going to ask about those. They were also highly sensitive topics, and he had no right to pry.

He almost leapt out of his seat when the door opened, but it was only the footmen, wanting to start to set the table. That made him visibly deflate. So much so that the footman noticed.

"Your Royal Highness?" the man appeared concerned as he set the tray he was carrying down. "Is everything alright?"

Of course, the man was worried for the well-being of the prince, the treasured heir to the throne. Niles wondered if anyone ever stopped to ask Lady Babcock how she was feeling. She had more reason than anyone not to feel alright. Other people had more reason to check up on her than they did on him.

And yet he was the one who was considered more important...!

He shook his head and waved his hand dismissively at the footman, "I'm fine, Peter. Nothing's the matter."

He was starting to get a little anxious because Lady Babcock wasn't there yet, but other than that, nothing was the matter really.

But there was nothing to be done, except wait. He kept himself seated and thought about how happy Lady Babcock would be about her bracelet and how nice the tea would be. And, eventually, there came a knock at the door which set his heart beating at a faster rhythm. He knew who it was, even before he called out for the person to come in.

He checked that the bracelet was still inside his pocket before leaping to his feet as the door opened. Of course, it was the woman he'd been waiting for. Ans she was dressed...finely. So very finely, in a new dress of a fabric so smooth he thought touching it would be softer than a feather, and sparkling jewels that glittered in the light, matching the bright spark in her eyes...

The sight was making his knees feel uncharacteristically weak...

"Lady Babcock," he gave a slight bow, not even thinking about how he'd never bowed to any woman outside of a dance. "Welcome. A-And thank you, for agreeing to meet with me like this."

C.C. offered him a polite curtsy in return. She was feeling...well, a little dressed up for what she'd had in mind as an afternoon. It was only tea, after all. But Queen Marie had insisted on selecting her outfit her, saying that she'd never gotten the chance to do such a thing with her late daughters…

C.C. suspected that wasn't the Queen's only reasoning, but she hadn't pressed the issue. It was...nice, to be dressed in such a fashion again.

"Thank you, Your Royal Highness," she said in reply to him. "For inviting me."

Niles smiled briefly, suddenly worried that the conversation was being rather formal and stiff so far and that perhaps he should say something else.

Luckily, a solution to two of his problems seemed to resolve themselves from that idea.

"Those are lovely jewels, that you're wearing," he said, discreetly reaching a hand into his pocket.

C.C. smiled rather sadly down at them, "Thank you, sir. They are borrowed, though..."

"Ah, yes...of course," the prince pulled her bracelet out of his pocket and held it in his fist, just out of sight. "I am sorry about that. But perhaps this one piece I found will look even better than the rest...?"

He opened his fist, holding the bracelet out to her on his palm.

A strange choking noise came from the back of Lady Babcock's throat, and her eyes widened noticeably before they started to well-up with tears. She covered her mouth with her hands and took a few unsteady paces towards the prince, feeling like her knees would give way beneath her.

"Is… is that…?"

"Your mother's bracelet," said Niles, an odd warmth taking over his heart when he saw her so overwhelmed with emotion. Somehow, her happiness was making him happy, and that in itself – enjoying from making someone happy without actually getting anything in return – was a novelty.

And one that he was liking quite a lot.

So much so, that before he knew it, he'd opened his mouth again.

"I…I found it in my…" the prince gulped, feeling a pang of unfamiliar guilt weighing over him and his cheeks reddening, "…my now ex-lover's room."

There was a small silence, but Niles would not dare to look up at C.C.. He hadn't meant to upset her by bringing up the subject of his...reputation with women (she'd made her stance on that quite plain to him!). It had just slipped out!

Could he tell her that he was never going to see Ruth again? That he felt disgusted at the mere idea that he'd ever thought of going anywhere near the maid?

He could try it. Whether or not it would work was another thing entirely.

He wouldn't blame her if it didn't.

"I… I got her to confess what she'd done," he continued, "and then I took this from her and left. I… I know what you think of me, but I promise you, I am not going to–_oof_!"

He never got to finish his sentence, for the Lady Babcock lunged forward and wrapped her arms tightly around him. She didn't seem to care about the declaration he was about to make. She didn't even seem to care that he was stumbling all over his words like some kind of fool.

"Thank you," her voice was an overwhelmed whisper; like she was trying not to cry. "For everything..."

Even though Niles was shocked at first, his natural reaction was to hug back. And when the thought came up in his head that he usually did this with fewer clothes, he also cringed minutely. He didn't want to think about those other times. The time he was in was the part that counted, and he wanted to spend it completely in that moment.

And so he held her, his hand still secure in holding the bracelet. Lady Babcock had been so overwhelmed that she hadn't taken it! It was up to him to remind her, so when they finally pulled away he brought it back in front of her again.

"You needn't thank me, dear lady. Though I cannot help but think your wrist is looking rather bare," he said. He then gestured to her wrist, holding out the bracelet. "May I?"

It was a bold move, but he was so happy he couldn't help himself.

And C.C., while also noting that it was a bold move (nearing thin ice, compared to what she'd told him she'd expected from their tea), also found herself oddly charmed by it. She wasn't quite sure why, either. Perhaps it was the sincerity about where he'd been to find the thing. Maybe it was his offer in itself – the gentlemanly offer to place the bracelet back on her wrist and clasp it shut.

Or it could've been to do with the way the fact that he was stumbling and stammering over his words like he was so concerned about getting it right!

It was...kind of endearing to watch, if she was honest.

So, with a beaming smile spreading even wider across his face, extended her wrist too.

"You may, sir."

And, with his own expression of joy, Niles gently took her wrist and slipped the bracelet on, clasping it so it didn't fall.

"There," he said, pride clearly showing through as he admired his small piece of handiwork. "It actually looks...rather beautiful there..."

"I am inclined to agree," replied the Lady Babcock, looking down at the gorgeous bracelet. "It's a fine piece; my good father used to say he chose the most beautiful jewels for the most beautiful woman."

Although he did not say it, Niles could only agree – the Lady Babcock was certainly deserving of the finest jewels in the kingdom. He could imagine that his father would feel the same way about Lady Babcock's mother – after all, Beatrice Babcock had been a renowned beauty, back in the day.

Wanting to move the afternoon forward, Niles gestured at the table that had been set for them, "It sounds like your good father was devoted to your mother."

C.C. chuckled as she took her seat, still not getting over the wonder of having her bracelet back and of being back (at least for a short while) in proper society. It had been ages since she'd last had tea.

Or... well... ages since she'd had tea with the proper appliances.

"Oh, he was!" she replied, reaching for a freshly baked scone and delicately laying it on her plate, "He was a charmer, but she was the apple of his eye. He spoiled her rotten, giving in to her every whim..."

She suddenly pursed her lips, her eyes losing their previous shine the longer she paused in thought, "It was devastating for them both, when the plague came to our house, taking my sister before taking them, too. She died first. My father followed only days after we'd buried her…"

Niles couldn't even begin to imagine. He had never lost a parent or a sibling (well, technically he had, but he hadn't been alive when it had happened), and he was unsure of what would be of the most comfort.

He had one idea, though. It might not work completely but it was something.

"But it did not come for you," he told her. "You are still here to honour their memories, and to pass down your family history for the generations to come. And I'm sure they are watching over you, and that they are very, very proud."

He felt a glimmer of hope when he saw Lady Babcock offer him a little bit of a smile. He had no idea that it had put a little bit of warmth in her heart, too.

But he did know what was about to happen next.

He knew exactly who it was when there was a knock at the door. One of the maids had been sent up to refresh their tea.

"Come in," he called, having a sip of his drink.

Prudence didn't waste a moment, wanting to get back to her duties downstairs as soon as possible. She had been about to scream at some scullery maids for their insolence and their sloppiness in cleaning the fireplaces, and she didn't want the force of it to go out of her before she got there.

The sooner this was over and done with, the sooner she could get on with the part of her job she actually enjoyed. I

"You summoned me, Your Royal High...?"

Her question faded away into nothing as she saw that Niles wasn't alone. Both he and his guest were looking at her.

He and his... surprising guest...

No! Surprise had the element of pleasure or happiness to it! Seeing that...that upstart girl dressed like a lady and taking tea with the prince brought about no pleasure whatsoever!

In Prudence, it only brought about a sense of horror. This was not how things were supposed to be!

Niles, of course, could only smile pleasantly at her arrival.

"Yes, I did summon you," he told her, gesturing for her to stop standing there gawking in the doorway and to come further into the room. "You're here to refresh our tea."

Prudence looked like she might throw up, and she didn't care who knew it. She was there to serve tea to the prince, that she could do without complaint (she'd done so for almost her entire life). But she couldn't – _wouldn't_ – serve that little nobody who was using a lady's clothes when she had absolutely no right!

Life had forced her down, and that was where life had intended for her to stay!

Not that anybody else seemed to recognise this!

"Serve Lady Babcock first," the prince ordered, apparently unfazed by the whole thing. Including the maid whose jaw was very close to dropping from how scandalous this all was. "And when you leave, go to the kitchens and ask if they have any more cakes left – which ones were your favourite again, my lady?

Prince Niles' command only served to further infuriate Prudence. Maids did _not_ have to serve other maids, no matter who one of said maids used to be! She was nobody now, and that was the important part!

Not that the prince or his new bit of skirt seemed to notice. No, they clearly only had eyes for each other, and what they could get out of each other. That was all this was – an arrangement that would suit the prince until he dropped the slut, and it would suit the slut while she could get whatever she wanted out of the prince.

But it would suit her a shorter amount of time. Prince Niles would be done with her before she knew it. He never stayed with one woman for long. Prudence could only hope he tired of her soon – she didn't think she could bear this alteration of the natural order for long.

There was no need for them to have tea like this! Why bother for some nobody maid who'd remain nothing, when he could've been getting tea served for himself and someone who actually deserved it?! Like a foreign princess or an actual lady who wasn't dirt poor?

"I have no particular preference, my lord," said Lady Babcock, smiling timidly at the prince. "I shall eat whatever pastry my lord desires."

Prudence very nearly scoffed at the little slut's fake show of humility. A pastry wasn't the only thing "her lord" desired. Nor would it be the only thing the little whore ended up eating before the day was out. And then, before anybody could say so much as one word, she would be out on her backside and the next pretty young thing would be in through the door and in Prince Niles' bed.

It was the way things were and would always be. And the sooner the slut learned that she'd never really be special in the prince's eyes, the better!

The sooner he had her and threw her out, the better. This one, unlike the countless others who had eventually accepted that the prince found them to be nothing more than playthings he no longer wanted, had gotten far too comfortable where she was!

And she was grinning smugly all over her slutty little face as Prudence came over to refresh her cup of tea.

There would have been a hefty amount of saliva in it, had it not been for the fact that Prince Niles was watching every move the maid was making.

Why couldn't he just marry, and then keep all these little disease-ridden concubines of his in some clandestine location, or go to visit them purely in their brothels?

That last one was where this one would no doubt end up, once the prince had had his fun.

"That's enough, thank you," said Lady Babcock.

"Milk or lemon?" asked the Prince, not ready to let Prudence go.

"Milk would be lovely!"

Again (and much to her chagrin), Prudence had to bow to the Prince and his slut of choice before grabbing the milk jug and pouring some of it into the slut's cup. How she detested this! How she hated having to stoop so low as to–

"Have you got a problem, servant?"

The Prince's sharp voice brought Prudence's musings to an end, her eyes widening slightly as they dashed to meet the Prince's. Had she made her disgust too obvious? If so, she didn't regret it, but she knew the Prince didn't take kindly to anyone being ill-mannered towards his current…lover.

"N-n-no, my lord," she stammered, "I…I apologise to His Royal Highness if it appeared that way."

She wouldn't apologise to her. To the Prince she had no qualm, but to her…over her dead body!

"Then you'd better change that sour expression of yours when serving my guest," he barked, "Now, once you have finished pouring a cup of tea for both myself and her ladyship, you shall go to the kitchens and bring the best cake my cooks have prepared. if I should find anything disgustingly untoward in any single cake or pastry meant for her ladyship or you continue to serve her with this attitude, you will be seeing yourself out of this palace. Are we clear?"

If Prudence had gritted her teeth any harder, they would have probably broken. But still, she curtsied once more and, with a choked "Yes Your Royal Highness", she dashed out of the room to complete the task that had been given to her.

Niles watched her go, face stern and lips pursed but overall pleased with the outcome. He was well aware of Prudence's dislike for Lady Babcock, but she was very wrong if she thought he'd allow her to disrespect his guest in any way. She had to serve her, whether she liked it or not. What he said, went.

Not that Niles noticed, but the Lady Babcock was smiling softly at him. Perhaps, just perhaps, she'd been wrong about him. Or perhaps she'd been right and prompted a change in him. It was too soon to tell, but either way, she was beginning to see a new, kinder version of the prince coming into his own.

Still, only time would tell.

And sharing a nice tea was as good a start as any.

* * *

"How dare you!"

Ruth could hear Niles' enraged scream as she neared the doors to the parlour where he and the Babcock Bitch were waiting for her. The fact that it had to be her and not literally any other maid in the palace that they were waiting for made Ruth mad enough to compel her to throw the entire tray across the room.

Not that Prudence had cared one jot that Ruth didn't want to go! The old crone was so concerned with not having to see "that mortal sin" with her own two eyes, that she didn't care who else she might've been sending off!

She certainly didn't care if Ruth was Niles' favourite or not...

She was still steaming over him leaving her room in such a rage over nothing, all so that he could have _afternoon tea_ with the little wench that was probably already worming her way into his bed! How dare he just suddenly decide to drop her because of some trivial trinket that couldn't possibly even matter to him?! How dare he treat her like she was one of his common whores?!

She would certainly have the prince beg for her attentions before welcoming him back inside her. He'd get bored of the little virgin bitch in there, and he'd run back to her. He always did. Virgins were no fun to anybody – it was a wonder beyond all comprehension that some of the older ones ever stopped being them at all!

Fortunately for Ruth, the angry yelling hadn't ceased, and she started to smile maliciously to herself. She hadn't been expecting the falling out to happen so quickly, and yet there it was! By the sound of things, the Prince was not pleased, and Ruth was itching to hear and see the carnage in the room. The Prince's loud protests were still coming:

"You witch!"

"I cannot believe this!"

"I will _not_ stand for this!"

Lord... this was going to be _so_ good!

She practically ran the rest of the way to the parlour, and pushed the door open...

And found a nasty surprise: both the Babcock virgin bitch and the Prince, sat side by side, playing Cribbage.

They'd...been playing a card game, the whole time...

And, just to really rub it all in, Babcock had won.

She was certainly rubbing it in the prince's face, too – wearing a grin a mile wide and pretending to fan herself with her winning hand. The winning hand that Ruth hoped would grow old and hideous and wrinkled with the rest of the bitch's body – as unattractive and unwanted as the rest of her.

"I do believe that's the second game in a row that I've won," C.C. teased in a singsong voice. "Doesn't this game go in odd numbers to decide who wins a match? If it does, I think I've already wo––"

"We're playing best of five," Niles cut in, the very image of a man who was annoyed about losing.

C.C. raised her eyebrows in return as she lowered her cards, "Well, that's certainly news to me..."

Neither one of them had noticed that Ruth had come in. They were still too busy being hideously flirty with each other, causing bile to make its way up Ruth's throat.

She'd _kill_ Prudence, for having to make her witness this!

It actually took her marching over to the side table and slamming the tray of cakes down as loud as she could get away with before anyone even noticed she was in the room!

"Ah, it appears as though the second part of our refreshments has finally arrived," Niles said, the last of the irritation leaving his voice to be replaced with...a different sort of irritation, when he looked up and properly saw who was there. "Oh. And the apology, that Lady Babcock is due."

Ruth felt her insides starting to burn at his demanding tone.

So, he'd told the bitch what she'd done...

It took all of Ruth's strength to not flip over the table in front of them. Apologise, for taking that little bracelet (the bracelet the woman was now wearing, as it so happened)! Why on Earth did she have to do that?! The Babcock bitch must've had loads of jewellery in her life and Ruth had had none (well, apart from the trinkets she'd gotten from her lovers)! She deserved to have at least a little, even if it came at the expense of the woman who was clearly about to be the prince's next bit of skirt.

And when he'd worked out that she wasn't very good, he'd come straight back to Ruth. It might take a while for her to stop being angry (especially at the order to stay and serve them both) but she'd welcome him back into her bed eventually.

Meanwhile, C.C. hadn't been able to do anything other than let her jaw drop.

Niles hadn't told her who his..._lover_, as uncomfortable as that term now felt...was! She'd never imagined that it would come down to this!

Ruth...? All along, it had been Ruth that had taken her bracelet?! She'd known the woman didn't like her (that had been apparent from day one), but she'd never imagined that she'd do anything so…devious and underhanded!

How dare that...that cow go into her personal space and just go through her things as though she had any right?! She might've...well, she and Prince Niles might have...

Well, that didn't matter! What mattered there was that she couldn't go putting on airs because of it, or touching things that didn't belong to her!

"Ruth?" Niles insisted, irked by the maid's silence. "Did you hear me? I said that you have to apologise to Lady Babcock!"

She didn't want to apologise. She wasn't going to apologise if it could be avoided! Perhaps she could discreetly offer something else instead? One night back where they'd left off earlier, and the prince would forget that there even was a Lady Babcock! She could go back to being his favourite, and maybe he'd make her a lady someday, if she served him well...

And in an actual way, not by completing the pathetic request he was ordering that she carry out!

Niles was starting to get angry with Ruth and his fade was showing it. What was the matter with the woman?! Did she have trouble following orders that didn't involve her getting men off, or...

Or was she being openly defiant to him, because she hated Lady Babcock? Ruth had told him that she thought the woman had deserved her misfortune...

It made a lot of sense. Unfortunately, it also meant that Niles' anger could only grow.

"This silence of yours is starting to irritate me," he told her, on the verge of starting to shout. "Tell her you're sorry, or I'll have money deducted from your wages!"

Ruth's eyes widened – both she and Niles knew that, between dignity and money, Ruth would always choose the latter. She could not afford the luxury to lose any money, especially when her pay barely covered her monthly expenses. It was despicable to be forced to yield to the Prince's demands purely because of monetary reasons, but as it was she had no choice.

She had to bite the proverbial bullet and apologise to the stuck-up little slut that was getting dangerously out of line. Had they not been in Niles' presence, Ruth would have made sure Babcock understood her place in the hierarchy – at the end of the chain, as scum like her should be.

Not attempting to conceal her indignation nor her new-found smouldering hatred for the lady-in-waiting, Ruth curtseyed to the Prince and then turned to Lady Babcock, who had remained silent through the entire exchange between Prince and maid.

There was hate in Lady Babcock's eyes as well – Ruth knew what had happened to her family. She'd opened up to and trusted her fellow maids with her suffering. She'd even told them about the bracelet! And the bitch had taken advantage of her naivety; of her trusting nature…

Not anymore. She wanted this apology not for Ruth's repentance (which C.C. knew was non-existent), but for the sake of humiliating her.

And it was taking its time coming. Ruth seemed to be having trouble getting her mouth to open. It was screwing up, like she was eating something sharp or incredibly bitter, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't swallow or spit it out. The sight was hilarious. At least, C.C. thought so. Niles appeared to be getting more annoyed by it by the second.

"Say it!" he barked.

The order was just about enough for Ruth to make a decision.

"I...'m so...so...sorry...!"

The words came out a strangled mess, but they were clear enough. C.C. was very happy with them, especially when they came with the punishment that Ruth had been given. It'd take her down a notch or two, and she might think again about stealing C.C.'s things.

Her mother's bracelet felt so very good, back on her wrist. And, for some reason, so did the look Niles was giving her. It was like he was asking "Are you satisfied by this?".

C.C. was almost tempted to say no, she wasn't satisfied by the funniest apology her own two eyes ever had seen. She wanted another one, or to see Ruth do something else to prove that she really had learned her lesson and would never do it again.

But she didn't. She still had to see the woman in settings where she wouldn't be protected by the prince's apparent sense of justice (who would've thought that he had morals somewhere?!), and she didn't want to take advantage of the fact that his power to order his servants around was practically limitless.

So (after pretending to consider for a while, because why not drag out Ruth's discomfort for just a moment longer?) she nodded.

"I accept your apology."

Niles held back from smiling. Lady Babcock truly was gracious – perhaps undeservingly so in Ruth's case. He could tell that she had been, at one stage, on the point of openly laughing at the maid, but she hadn't. She'd known exactly when she thought it had all run its course and that it was time to move on.

Unfortunately for Ruth, he wasn't going to be as generous.

"You can be thankful that it wasn't up to me to accept," he told the maid. "Because we would have been waiting here a lot longer than we were. I'm not letting you off the hook for your punishment, either – now you have apologised to Lady Babcock, we'll need you to start serving us the cakes to go with our tea," he then looked over at Lady Babcock and gestured at the selection of cakes. "Is there any particular cake that you had your heart set on?" he asked. "To the victor, I suppose, must go the spoils."

Lady Babcock apparently pondered the decision, craning her neck to look at the selection.

"Hmm...I'll have that tart on the left," she pointed. "The one with all the berries on it."

Niles pretended to sigh in disappointment and punched his fist through the air in a "damn" sort of way.

"Just the tart I was going for myself!"

Ruth almost rolled her eyes. The little pastry was very obviously not the only tart in the room he was after!

The maid delicately picked it up with the tongs and slipped it onto her plate, part of her wishing she could actually throw it over her head. She then waited for the Prince to select a treat and eventually served him a plain slice of lemon drizzle cake.

"You really made an excellent choice, you know – the strawberries and blackberries will be fresh," he said, gesturing at her treat.

C.C. smiled, admiring her tart before she dug in. She couldn't believe that she was getting the chance to eat something like it again!

"I wouldn't have cared if they hadn't been, Your Royal Highness," she told him. "I, uh...haven't had fresh fruit beyond apples in a while, and it's been even longer since I had a real pastry!"

Niles' eyebrows raised in surprised shock, "Really?!"

He had never fully imagined what servants had to eat – he'd always supposed it would be similar to what the nobility ate, even if just inferior quality, on the rare occasions that he had thought about it. It hadn't occurred to him that there were simple foodstuffs that might be out of reach to the servants because they were busy putting it all on his plate instead...

But that was what Lady Babcock was telling him, and he had no reason not to believe her.

"I used to have them a lot, but I haven't had a berry or a pastry since I got here," she told him. "But the kitchens stock apples in larger bulks. Everything else is for cooking."

Servants weren't allowed any form or even a hint of luxury – cakes, tarts and pastries were to be made downstairs, but no one who lived down there could so much as look at them for too long without being punished. They had to watch as someone else got to admire their handiwork, and how delicious it was...

But Prince Niles wasn't looking at his lemon cake. He was back in his seat and looking at her from across the table, with what might've been a hint of guilt in his features.

"Well, here it has been cooked for you," he said. "So please, do try it."

So she did, and she relished the flavour when she finally took in her first mouthful. The sweetness of the strawberries and the tartness of the blackberries bounced off one another in a wonderful battle to be the most flavoursome and swirled into the thick, wonderful cream that just enough softened the crisp base...

It was...practically divine, really, and she felt herself involuntarily moan before she could stop herself.

She was mortified the second it was out, though. She covered her mouth with one hand, feeling her legs stiffen as though preparing for her to make an apology, a flimsy excuse and then an exit.

"Your Royal Highness, I do apologise...!"

Niles had, of course, heard what she was apologising for. What he didn't understand was why she felt she needed to.

He had heard women moan before. He'd been the one to make it happen, and all of them had been declaring various levels of satisfaction, but this...this one felt more important, even if it was not his doing. Lady Babcock had been through so much in her time, she was owed the satisfaction of a treat that she missed from her home.

"There is nothing to be sorry for, Lady Babcock," he said. "You were enjoying your chosen pastry, not committing a crime."

A sense of pride swelled in him when he saw the small, grateful smile spreading across the Lady Babcock's finely chiselled features.

No... maybe pride was not the right emotion. Not entirely.

The warmth in his chest felt like pride – it felt like he'd done something worthwhile, but it didn't exactly describe his feelings in their entirety. There was an aspect that Niles felt had to do with what his mother had always described as caring for someone. Almost as if his happiness were coming not from the action of being kind, rather than from the enjoyment she was getting out of it.

It was a very unknown state for the prince, but oddly enough he found himself smiling and enjoying from it. It almost felt like he had butterflies in his stomach, or like his whole body was tingling. It really was the strangest yet most pleasing feeling he'd ever experienced.

And to Niles, a royal prince used to having everything, novelty was always attention-grabbing.

_She_ was attention-grabbing.

Much more so than...well, any other woman he'd ever encountered!

It was almost impossible for him to even think of more than picking at his own cake whilst Lady Babcock was eating, in between their chatting. The little sponge, whilst a firm favourite amongst the nobility, just wasn't catching his appetite as much that day as watching her savour every bite of a pastry she'd waited for months to have again.

His cake was mostly uneaten crumbs that had been pulled apart with a fork by the time that she was done. The strange thing was, he didn't even care! He'd normally have been annoyed at himself for wasting a perfectly good cake, and he wasn't!

Instead, he couldn't help leaning towards Lady Babcock, with a smile on his face.

"Did you enjoy your cake, Lady Babcock?"

C.C. smiled, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious, and discreetly wiped the cream from the corner of her mouth.

She nodded, "I did, Your Royal Highness… thank you."

Niles felt his chest swell in elation and pride. He couldn't believe he was hosting a tea for her so successfully! He gestured eagerly to the tray of cakes that Ruth had brought in, almost out of his seat already in preparation.

"Would you care for another one? Again, you may pick whichever you like..."

And pick she did – that time, she chose a light bun made of puff pastry, filled with cream and covered in caramel. Niles knew they were divine, and his mind could only think about how the treat suited her.

He himself chose a long eclair, but its top was layered in chocolate instead of caramel. He hoped to either eat more of his second choice, or to at least appear as though he had. For some reason, he found the idea of Lady Babcock knowing that he had been distracted by her presence rather...embarrassing.

He was a prince. He was supposed to be suave and charming to women at all times (his father said it bettered his chances at getting what he wanted). But with this woman...well, all of that just went straight out the nearest window! All he could think about was how happy each next action he took would make her, or if something he'd just done had been noticed by her (the good and the humiliating).

It felt...better than any of his interactions with women before. There was a sense of something natural about it.

Even if he did turn very red as he sat back down after serving her the bun and more tea, and immediately sat in a pile of lemon crumbs that he'd accidentally left in his seat!

God... he was acting like a baboon!

And yet, he simply couldn't care less. If his tomfoolery amused Lady Babcock or it meant he could spend some more time with her, then he would gladly make a fool of himself.

What a funny thing, really, to be willing to act like a ninny for someone else…

Niles was so smitten that he failed to notice Ruth was still in the room. She, unlike Niles, was well aware of the origins of the prince's new behaviour. He may have been a skilled and cultured young man, with a sharp mind and possessor of political acumen, but he was painfully daft when it came to feelings.

And it was clear from his demeanour that there were..._feelings_, present. Even if it did make bile rise up the back of the maid's throat to even admit it to herself, in her own head!

She had to swallow it back down, and not accidentally forget herself and spit it at the woman who'd clearly taken the place that was owed to her – the position of favourite, and all the attention of the prince that went with it.

She hated to think how much more actual attention Babcock was getting! She'd never had tea and cake with Prince Niles, or played at cards, or laughed and talked...

It couldn't possibly last. He was just buttering her up because she was from a prim and proper background and wouldn't let him get his leg over without a little something beforehand to make her feel special. Like she meant more than she really did to him. It'd be over after that, and then Ruth would be back in. He'd always enjoyed her more than anyone else, and it would be the same with this one too, in the end.

The pair of them laughed at something Ruth hadn't been listening to, and she scowled. Even if she was certain of the future's outcome already, it didn't make the present any less grating. They were going to be insufferable until the prince had gotten what he wanted, and Babcock was probably going to lord it over everyone in the kitchens.

Ruth would see about that. She'd keep a close eye on them from then on, and gather what information she could, in case it turned out to be useful to her. She'd see to it that Prince Niles' attention was directed back where it belonged. And that Babcock was put back in her place at the bottom of the pile.

Soon enough.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 7**_

C.C. smiled down at the carefully folded dress and the little box within the Queen's loaned jewels lay – both the things that she was bringing carefully back to Queen Marie.

She wasn't going to be able to thank her enough for her lending them to her, either! She'd ended up having such a wonderful – unexpectedly wonderful, at that – time just talking and laughing with Prince Niles. The conversation had sparkled, the jokes had been witty and sharp...

All of it had felt good. It had felt right. And it had made her feel like a proper lady again, which was a feeling she'd been lacking for so long, she'd almost forgotten...!

She'd liked having it back, but now it was time to go back to reality. So, after having been let into the Queen's private chambers, she made her way to Marie's study, where she knew she liked to spend her afternoon. As usual, she found the Queen with her nose buried in a book and nursing a half-empty cup of tea in her right hand. The sight was rather…endearing.

In a way, Marie reminded C.C. of her own father, perennial bookworm and tea enthusiast. She remembered he'd always let her sit by his side while he worked or read. The memory of those homey afternoons spent cooped up in her father's study always made her smile.

As she'd grown, he'd fed her curious mind with books. He'd become her tutor, and like a little sponge, she'd absorbed every drop of knowledge he'd deemed valuable enough to be shared with her. Queen Marie also enjoyed discussing her latest finds with her. According to her, she found it stimulating. She seldom had the pleasure of having an intelligent conversation, so C.C.'s arrival had been almost a mercy.

Not wanting to rudely interrupt the Queen when she was clearly engrossed in reading her book, C.C. lightly knocked on the door. Only when the Queen looked up from her book did she make her way in.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," she said, curtseying to her and trying very hard to ignore the impish (and rather…smug?) smile spreading across the Queen's face.

"So, 'ow did it go...?" she said, cutting to the chase.

Her tone was just as playfully probing, like a mother trying to find out information about the boy her girl liked, and even that comparison sent a faint blush to C.C.'s cheeks. It also put a smile so wide on her face, C.C. knew straight away she'd look like a fool. But she didn't care.

"It was...absolutely delightful, Your Majesty," she said. "We talked so much and laughed so hard...! His Royal Highness and I have...well… agreed to meet again next Friday."

Marie's eyes lit up at that, "Cherie, zhat eez wonderful news!"

C.C. nodded, a bubble of excitement making its way into her chest, "It will be! I cannot wait for the day to come! But, that is not entirely why I'm here..."

She held out the dress and the jewels to the queen.

"I must, of course, return these – Her Majesty has made me so happy by allowing me to wear such fine jewels and by making me feel like a lady again..."

Marie looked at her for only a split second, before she lightly shook her head at her. "No, my child. Zhese were not for you to borrow – zhey are yours to keep. After all, zhey are befitting gifts for one zhat 'as just been appointed First Lady of zhe Bedchamber."

Feeling the world around her come to a halt, C.C. blinked, certain that she couldn't have heard the queen right. Did...did she really say that she was making her _First Lady of the Bedchamber_?! The most important of all the attendants a Queen of England could have?!

How had she, a lowly and unimportant maid, possibly made such an impression that Queen Marie had agreed to give her such an important role?! And agreed that she could keep this absolutely stunning dress, and the jewels that she'd worn with it...?!

They surely had to be worth a fortune that Marie wouldn't want to spend!

They were the nicest thing that C.C. had had to wear in so long, it almost felt like she was intruding by saying yes...!

But she wasn't going to refuse such a kind and generous offer from her queen, either. How could she? This was the most wondrous thing that had happened to her in a long time - it made her feel like...like dancing!

"Her Majesty is too kind to me," C.C. gushed, part of her wanting to reach out and hug the Queen, "I… I have done nothing to deserve Her Majesty's favour."

Marie waved a dismissive hand at her, laughing lightly, "Nonsense, my dear. My last First Lady has just retired, and you are zhe most worzhy of replacing 'er. You deserve every good zhing coming your way. You will receive a generous salary from my own coffers, new and bigger rooms, and a new wardrobe fit for your new position. Now, zhat being said, what do you say eef we 'ave a spot of tea and indulge in zhe womanly 'abit of gossiping? I 'ave yet to 'ear about yesterday's events!"

As she'd spoken, Marie gestured at the empty seat next to the one she'd been occupying – there was an unused cup waiting there, and C.C. soon snapped back to the present to quickly realise that Queen Marie had meticulously planned this not-so-impromptu meeting. Again, her fussing and probing reminded her of her own mother and how she'd always insist on discussing C.C.'s suitors with her.

"It would be an honour, Your Majesty," said C.C. bowing to her queen. "Shall I pour Her Majesty a cup of tea before I am allowed to sit?"

"No, chérie! Don't be ridiculous!" she said, gesturing for C.C. to sit, which she only did once Marie had re-taken her own seat. "You are my new First Lady of zhe Bedchamber – you do not concern yourself wizh pouring cups of tea! Today, you are my guest, nozhing more and nozhing less."

First Lady of the Bedchamber ...C.C. was still completely bowled over by the title, let alone all the attention she was receiving – just like a lady once more! It was incredible – she didn't think she'd done anything to earn such a lofty position, or any of the honour that Marie had bestowed upon her!

Not that Marie looked as though she agreed. She then called one of her other servants into the room and ordered the young thing to pour them tea and fill their empty plates with all kinds of exotic delicacies. It was well known that the queen had a massive sweet tooth, so being invited to her table was always a highly coveted honour. Queen Marie was very generous, and always encouraged her ladies to help themselves to as much food as they wanted.

In the short time she'd been in Marie's service, C.C. had been the one lady-in-waiting who'd been invited to her table the most times, something she greatly appreciated. C.C. simply couldn't think of anybody more trustworthy, nor more experienced at speaking with her comfortably. And if the price to pay for the Queen's delightful company and food was indulging in a little bit of gossip, then C.C. was more than willing to provide.

She was more than grateful for everything that she'd been given, whether or not she deserved it. And that went double for the queen's friendship.

And so, she told her everything. From the tiniest scrap of information to the juiciest portion of her afternoon with the prince – nothing was left out of bounds.

She hadn't felt this welcome (nor this happy and taken care of) in a long time, and she could only hope that it would continue just as it had begun, next Friday.

She'd never wanted a day to come quite so much!

* * *

Yet another arrow embedded itself in a tree, somehow missing the prize doe it was aiming for even worse than before. The Duke of Sheffield, Maxwell Sheffield, stared after the animal, which of course quickly made its escape, and then turned to frown at Prince Niles, who had already lowered his bow. He didn't seem to be disappointed at their quarry getting away, and that was usually one of the things that annoyed him the most!

To see his best friend not even seeming to care was...well, quite frankly, bizarre! The fact that he'd missed two arrows in the first place didn't make much sense, either – nothing about it added up!

"Is...uh, not to be disrespectful, Your Royal Highness, but is something ailing you today?" he tried to be delicate in his approach. "You seem...slightly affected by something...elsewhere."

Niles didn't know how to reply to that. He wasn't feeling very affected – at least, he thought he wasn't. It was hard to know if his inability to think of more than one subject at a time was the result of being "affected", as Maxwell had put it.

The Duke of Sheffield obviously just didn't see how the constant thoughts of Lady Babcock and the splendid afternoon they'd spent together could make him so slow at hunting. Not that he personally cared if he was slow today. Not when they'd made him feel so wonderful and alive! She was refreshing to talk to – her wit was finely tuned, she played a mean game of cards, and she was so well-read that she knew a little of practically everything! Even things Niles had never cared to know!

She was simply delightful to talk to, and he couldn't imagine any of the days between that moment and the next Friday afternoon, when they'd see each other again.

He was grinning like a fool, even as that deer he'd been trying to bag disappeared into the forest.

"I couldn't be finer," he dismissed his friend with a wave of his hand and started setting off into the forest undergrowth.

He'd either find that doe, or else start hunting something that wasn't being quite so elusive that day. He wanted to have something to bring back to the palace – something he could show Lady Babcock and that she could taste in a dish at the table that night.

He wanted her to be impressed by it, and to have a good meal from something he had provided...

"Are you sure about that, Your Royal Highness?" Maxwell's thudding footsteps and concerned tone followed not too far behind him. "It isn't like you to miss when it comes to hunting. And you appear to be completely and utterly thrilled about it, even though that is also a statistical improbability."

Niles chuckled some at that, picking his way carefully over the larger roots of the trees. He knew he enjoyed hunting, but that day and the days before had been filled with nothing but Lady Babcock's image and the plan of their newly planned, second upcoming tea.

And he liked the both of those more than the sight of any fresh kill he'd made, anywhere.

"Ah, well, can you blame a man for simply being merry?" he said as he began knocking a new arrow in his bow. "It's a magnificent day, Your Grace, and we have already amassed quite a bounty!"

Maxwell frowned, unsure of how to answer to a statement he'd never believe he'd ever hear from Prince Niles. Whenever they went hunting, the prince was assiduous. He was painstakingly careful about not scaring their would-be preys, and his every move was calculated. He was diligent and professional, and he expected the same from the men he hunted with.

But today… today he seemed out of his game. He'd made plenty of blundering attempts at shooting does and stags down and he'd failed miserably, he'd let a number of boars escape, and he was being unusually loud and frolicsome. He was not stealthily hunting for new quarry but rather buoyantly meandering all over the forest!

He'd never been this way before! What could I possibly have changed in the meantime that meant he was suddenly off in his own dreamland, missing all the prey he'd usually be bringing down, and calling it a magnificent day like there was something special about it?

Maxwell just didn't understand, even if the answer seemed quite obvious to Niles.

"If you say we have, Your Royal Highness..." Maxwell thought about the one boar that he'd managed to spear before it gored Niles for standing around just grinning to himself, and the few wood pigeons that had been brought down and might be enough for some sort of stew, if they had to make anything at all with them. "In which case, do you want to give up on the deer? After all, we do have a...fine selection today..."

"Not yet," Niles practically sang back to him, releasing another arrow into the thicket. There wasn't a cry to indicate it had hit any kind of animal. "I'm sure that we can take this creature down and bring her home for a grand feast. Won't she look rather impressive, on the table at dinner?"

He was imagining being there, getting thanked by his father for bringing them such a wonderful catch, and seeing Lady Babcock sat at one of the lower tables, with the rest of the ladies-in-waiting, watching him...

It would round off a perfectly splendid day, if that all happened...!

"I am inclined to agree, sir, but, if you don't mind me saying so, I don't think we are going to take the creature down if His Royal Highness doesn't stop scaring every pray in a two-mile radius by being a loud, blundering oaf!" Maxwell snapped, giving the prince a deadpan look.

He usually preferred not being confrontational, but given the fact that they had been hunting for hours now and that the prince's distraction had cost him a number of prized quarries, he had little patience left.

Maxwell was well aware he was one of the few people who could speak with such insolence to the prince. Their friendship spanned over two decades – Niles confided in him and, Maxwell believed, he was one of his most (if not the most) treasured advisers. Any other poor bastard who even tried speaking to him in such a way would most likely get a good thrashing.

Clearly, being the Prince of Wales' best friend had its perks.

Prince Niles was very much like his father in terms of having a strong, albeit irascible, temper. But to give him some credit, he was less of a hothead than King Joseph (if only just). Probably the effect of their good Queen Marie's influence on him.

As such, his reply to Maxwell's chastising was merely a roll of the eyes and the wave of a dismissive hand.

"When did you become such a sourpuss, Your Grace?" he commented, pressing on his horse's side so it began moving again, "There is no rush – we are enjoying a day out, aren't we?"

Maxwell thought of replying that he would be fully enjoying a day out, if it weren't for the practically dancing idiot he had been forced to accompany, but he thought better of it. Sometimes things were better left unsaid – he might have been best friends with a prince, but that didn't make him exempt from punishment!

"We are," he instead said carefully, following close behind his friend. "But I do think there is something to be said for...well, catching the beast as soon as you see it. Striking while the iron's hot, so to speak. After all, it might turn down a hollow we're not familiar with and we'll lose sight of it. And if that happens, who knows if we'll spot another one again today?"

Niles gripped his horse's reins in one hand and used the other to wave dismissively.

"There are hundreds of deer in this forest, Your Grace! Not meeting more than one would be like going out into a rainstorm and not getting wet!"

Maxwell frowned to himself, having been confident that that might at least put a dent in Niles' attitude, so that he might at least consider amending his behaviour for the rest of this little jaunt.

It was just a pity that he had apparently been wrong.

Meanwhile, Niles was completely unaware of his best friend's brooding. His mind was in far too happy a place, and it didn't involve hunting immediately like Maxwell apparently wanted. They had all the rest of the day – why bag one noble beast and then decide that was all that was needed from the trip? The day was truly one of the most beautiful Niles had ever seen!

He didn't know what it was about it. The sun just seemed to be shining just enough, and hitting the leaves on the trees to make it all look the most spectacular shade of green...

Not walking through it and enjoying the view would be an insult to God and His own creation!

He only wished that Lady Babcock could be there to see it for herself. She'd probably love hearing all the different bird calls, and seeing all the colours of the flowers on the plants and bushes that he passed (and that his horse tried to nibble on, at least a couple of times).

His mind was starting to turn in the direction of maybe inviting her to some sort of outdoor tea when Maxwell cleared his throat.

"Your Royal Highness...you do know where we're going, don't you?"

That got Niles to properly look around for the first time in...well, perhaps he'd simply gone off the main path a little and all he needed was to go back to get back on it! He turned around and immediately his face fell, and he tried not to spook his horse by yelling. The main path back out had gone as well?!

But...maybe that didn't matter. Maybe this was all an opportunity to be bold, and to take chances?

It could certainly be interesting as a story for Lady Babcock if he got back to the palace and could tell her about the beautiful sight that was the forest.

His chest started to warm up at the mention of her...

"No," he eventually replied to Maxwell's question. Then he began smiling again. "But where would the fun in knowing all of that be? There's far more to be found here!"

The prince gestured around as he spoke, almost as if introducing his friend to a new world. He wasn't of course, but Maxwell was willing to humour him. Something was up with the prince, but he simply couldn't put a finger on what it was. He supposed that he'd either find out or the prince's behaviour would eventually go back to normal.

He only hoped it happened soon. Maxwell didn't think he could bear Prince Niles' idiotic behaviour for much longer.

"With all due respect, Your Royal Highness, I'd rather we didn't get lost," said Maxwell as he too pressed on his horse's side for it to follow Niles' own. "Or delve so deep into the unknown thicket that we cannot find out way back!"

"Ah, come on, Maxwell! Where is your sense of adventure, my friend? Have you already become one of those complacent and withered old men?" teased the prince.

That seemed to strike a chord with Maxwell, who took on a look of offence, "Who are you calling a complacent and withered old man?!"

"A complacent and withered old man, apparently," Niles continued, a grin spreading itself all over his face. "Would the senior amongst us like the chance to sit and rest, and maybe eat his evening meal a little earlier so he can sleep at a reasonable hour?"

The continued mocking wounded but also awoke Maxwell's sense of pride. He knew that he had to defend his honour, as well as his age, and he thought he had the perfect – perhaps the only – method of doing that.

He tightened his grip on his reins, "No, but I would enjoy a race back to where we actually were on the trail before you led us here."

Niles blinked, unsure that he'd heard what Maxwell had said, "Hm?"

All that met his vague noise of questioning was Maxwell kicking his horse's sides to rouse it, causing it to whinny and take off. Understanding for certain and not wanting to be left out of the fun, Niles spurred his own horse into action and followed.

It didn't take long for him to catch up, and before long they were yelling jokingly mocking things at each other.

"Could a withered old man do this?!"

"Only with a horse carrying him! He'd need a cane if it was a foot race!"

"You can be such a child sometimes!"

"Says the man who wanted a ra-_aaaagh_!"

Niles never finished his jeering, as his horse tripped on a branch or a log or a stone, or maybe even a rise in the forest floor, and he was thrown from his saddle to the ground with a thud.

A thud, and about three sickening snaps all simultaneously, upon which a pain unlike any other shot through his left arm and down his side as he tried to scramble into a seated position.

Oh, God... Jesus Christ, it hurt...!

"Your Royal Highness!" Maxwell had slowed his horse and dismounted in an instant, rushing over to see his friend. "Your Royal Highness, are you alright?!"

Had he not been in so much pain, Niles would have tried to sit up and walk it off and dismiss it as nothing. As things were, he couldn't do that.

He couldn't move his limb, for one thing, which struck him as it being broken. If the pain there or the one burning down his side suggested anything else, he thought he might have broken at least a couple of his ribs...

If the snap hadn't already given that away, that was.

Just his luck. He was only hours away from returning home and seeing Lady Babcock, and now he was going to spend it with only one arm and unable to move because of his ribs...!

But if he had to get back, then so be it. He'd rather have Dr Potts look at it right away anyway.

"I...I think my arm and...some of my ribs are broken," he managed to breathe, occasionally sucking in air through his teeth. "Where...where's my horse? Where's Athena?"

As if on cue, a distressed cry came from a few feet away, where Niles' horse had collapsed. Whatever she'd tripped on had broken her leg – the bone was sticking through her skin, and no matter how much she tried to get up, she just couldn't...

Through his own pain, Niles felt his heart sink. She couldn't walk like that anymore, and even if she healed, it would never be right again. He'd seen the kind of agony horses were in when their limbs broke, and he certainly didn't wish to subject his Athena to that kind of pain. It would be cruel, especially when he knew she would not get better.

There was only one thing left to do, even if it broke his heart – he was going to have to put her down. He'd do it himself, too. She'd been too loyal a friend and steed for him to hand the job off to somebody else, even if his arm was broken.

He owed her that much.

"Help me up, Maxwell," he said to his best friend, pain coming through his every word. "I…I need to…to see to my horse…"

Maxwell frowned, but nevertheless obeyed the prince. He knew better than to argue with him where his beloved steed was concerned. Niles had raised her – he'd been her owner and friend from the very moment she'd come out of its mother's belly. Niles was the only human she'd ever allowed to ride her and she'd never disappointed him when he'd needed her – it was a thing of beauty to see them gallop. It was almost as if they were in a state of co-being, attuned to each other's physical and mental needs, while working together towards a common goal.

Although they didn't speak the same language, both rider and horse understood one another perfectly – she was able to pick up on Niles' needs and wishes by way of non-verbal communication. So did Niles, for that matter. They simply were an incredible team.

The prince wasn't ready to let Athena go, but he knew it was what he had to do. She needed him to put her first, even if it broke his heart into a million pieces. They trusted and loved each other, and sometimes love meant doing things we'd rather not for the sake of our loved one.

With Maxwell's help, he eventually managed to make it all the way to Athena and kneel by her side to gently stroke her white mane. "I'm here, girl, I'm here," he shushed her, eyes already welling up with tears. "I'm here…"

Athena whinnied and whined pathetically, her big brown eyes filled to the brim with fear. She didn't know what was coming, of course (how could she? No completely loyal, loving and trusting animal would ever think they'd meet their end at the hand of the one who was supposed to take care of them). All she knew was that she was in unbearable pain, and that pain was making it impossible for her to do the one thing she was born to do; get up and run.

She was frightened. She was in pain. She was in need of someone to take it all away.

Niles tried to keep telling himself that, but the guilt was crushing him from the inside out as well. He'd never thought that he'd be the one to have to do it - he always knew there was the possibility, but he'd always been so careful...!

But as he tried to get up and move to do it, it quickly became apparent that he couldn't move enough to...complete the actual movement. He had to call Maxwell forward to do it, and rested his non-broken side against Athena, stroking her with his good hand, all to keep her calm before her life came to an end.

It felt like he was betraying her, both by letting this happen and by not doing it himself. He'd let her down, was going to let her down even more, and the worst part was, she wouldn't even understand why!

He could only keep on murmuring sentiments as Maxwell slowly drew his sword.

Even though she wouldn't know what he meant by doing it, he still didn't think it right to make a big show of it, so he'd asked Maxwell to do it quietly.

A cut across the throat would do it. He could see where her jugular was and he'd pointed it out to his friend, and once that was hit, it would be over.

"I know, girl...I know you're in pain," he said, blinking the tears out of his eyes. "I am, too. But it will all be over soon...I promise..."

It was nearly done. Maxwell wouldn't hesitate. Not when his best friend needed him to do this.

What was best for Athena, as well as so much pain he didn't think he could walk, were the only things stopping Niles from shouting out, grabbing the sword from Maxwell and throwing the damned thing down before going off to rage about how unfair it all was.

"I'm sorry. But you'll be alright, my girl," he whispered. Maxwell was poising his sword ready for the – hopefully swift – kill. "Forgive me..."

With that said, he closed his eyes and let Maxwell push his sword into her throat and along, cutting through the jugular and letting her blood flow out.

The next few moments were the worst of Niles' life thus far. As Athena tried to cry out but couldn't, she tried thrashing her head around and he had to hold her down, shushing her more as she bled out and the light finally left her eyes.

He didn't know how long it took. He didn't care.

Neither did it matter that he was now covered in Athena's blood – that would be washed away in no time at all.

But what he'd just had to let someone else do for them both would never leave him. It might have been over in the outside world, but in his heart and in his head, he'd never be able to forget the day he'd had to get someone else to kill his friend for a reason that friend would never understand.

Maxwell turned away when it was done, and Niles gently rested his head against Athena's one last time.

"You rest now, girl, 'til I get there...we'll go riding again when I do..."

He didn't know when that would be. He didn't know how many years would pass, or how many other horses he'd have to let go this way. But he did know that he'd keep his promise to his girl.

She was too special to forget, and too close to his heart for anything else to happen. So close, in fact, that as he pulled his head away at last, he thought about commanding the men he'd brought with him to break out as many shovels as they could get or find.

Friends deserved dignity and respect. And the last thing Niles wanted was to take Athena's body back, only to find that some unfeeling bastard believed she'd make an excellent source of meat, either for dogs or for people...

And simply leaving her body there would be much the same as giving it over to use for meat. Something would come along and take her...

He didn't want that. He wanted her body in the ground, rotting away like any other human friend he might have had to bury.

But would the men find enough shovels? He couldn't make them dig with their hands nor could he help out in his current condition, but he could always ask a few of them to stay behind and keep guard of Athena's body until he got to the palace and sent reinforcements and proper equipment. They would fend off any unwanted company that could potentially harm Athena.

He also wanted a headstone to be placed upon her burial site, so he could always go back to it and pay his respects to his fallen friend. He really hoped she could forgive him, but there was nothing else that he could have done for her.

"Have my men guard Athena's body," Niles told Maxwell, holding an outstretched hand so he could (painfully) help him get to his feet. "I want her to be properly buried, as any good friend should be. I will send some reinforcements with shovels once we return to Whitehall."

"Of course, Your Royal Highness," Maxwell nodded gravely, having lost all previous feeling of his jovial mood as he pulled Niles back to his feet.

He couldn't help but think that this wouldn't have happened if he hadn't been so insistent on proving himself not to be a sourpuss, as Niles had put it. If he'd just taken the light blow that hadn't really meant anything, his friend would still be in his strange but happy mood, and wouldn't have had to do away with the horse he'd loved and raised and cared for her whole life!

The least he could do was make sure it all went smoothly from here on out, saving his friend any more trouble and giving only the a (hopefully) minimal amount of discomfort. It was what he was there for – both as a friend and as a lord in the royal court.

"Will you be returning with them to oversee the burial?" he asked. "Because it might be prudent to have Dr Potts see to your arm and ribs, before that happens..."

For a mere hint of a second, Niles looked like he'd forgotten all about his broken bones in the first place. But then he nodded, keeping his eyes on the ground as they walked back to where they had left Niles' guards, Maxwell tugging his own horse along behind them by the reins.

"I suppose I shouldn't just leave it..."

Niles mumbled that slightly angrily, annoyed at himself for being so...fixable when Athena could not be.

But he also knew that no amount of anger at the human body would change anything. Horses were more delicate and needed more care with injuries that couldn't always be provided. That was that, no arguments.

He had done the best he could by his friend, and after giving the order to his men to stay with her, he and Maxwell started the journey back to the palace, Niles gripping the reins of a borrowed horse uneasily with his one good hand.

Niles didn't think he could possibly feel more depressed by the time they made it back. They'd had to ride back at a slow pace, given that moving too much was currently out of Niles' possibilities. He was in way too much pain to gallop back home. He didn't remember the last time he'd ridden a horse that wasn't Athena - doing it now felt awkward and wrong, and that was without thinking about his broken ribs and arm!

That presented its own issues, when the time came for him to dismount. He had to wait as Maxwell got down from his own horse first, so he could come and help him get down without hurting himself any further. It just seemed to add a layer of humiliation to the whole thing – the last time he'd been helped down from a horse was the last time he'd ridden a horse that wasn't Athena. And that had been back when he was a boy under the age of ten (if he remembered correctly, considering that had been some time ago).

Maxwell quite obviously saw the look of utter misery on his friend's face as he helped him down.

"You did what you had to do, Your Royal Highness," he said, trying to be comforting. "She was in pain, and it wouldn't have been any kind of life if she could have been...well, you know..."

He trailed off, worried that he might've said the wrong thing by even mentioning the possibility of sparing Athena. He knew he was right – they both did – but that didn't necessarily make it the most tactful thing to say at this moment in time.

But Niles simply let out a sigh and nodded. He wasn't about to get angry at his friend for making a comment that was obviously supposed to reassure him that he'd made the right decision.

When it became obvious that Niles had nothing to say on the matter, Maxwell's mouth formed a line and he nodded, before gesturing towards the entrance to the palace.

"We should find Dr Potts. It's best that we get your arm and chest seen to now."

Niles gave another half-hearted nod but said nothing. The pain was horrible – he could barely walk as it was and there was nothing he wanted more than to lie down on his bed – but it paled in comparison to the heaviness he carried in his heart. It hadn't fully hit him yet, but it was starting to do so and Niles only wished he could lie down for a while and not talk to anyone.

It wasn't possible, given the state of his arm and broken ribs, but he could always dream, couldn't he?

In barely a few minutes, both Maxwell and Niles found themselves inside the palace, informing one of the many servants about the prince's injury. He was then ordered to get the doctor while Niles and Maxwell retired to the Prince's private chambers.

Niles needed help to climb the stairs – the pain radiating from his broken bones was getting worse, making even the smallest movement an excruciating ordeal. He knew they had to slot the bone back into place, it was what the doctor always did when it came to broken limbs, but Niles was dreading it already.

He knew it would hurt like hell. It always did.

He was received in his chambers by his gentlemen of the chamber, who quickly cleaned Athena's blood off of him and then began helping him out of his shirt, trying (and failing) to cause him as little pain as possible. It soon became evident the prince wouldn't be able to stretch his arm so that his shirt could be removed; as such, his men resorted to simply cutting the garment until it came off.

They were done just as the doors to his room were pushed open, and not precisely by the doctor – it was his mother, Queen Marie.

She must have heard the news. Even without knowing that the servants would've been muttering it amongst themselves the length and breadth of the palace, he could see worry written all over her face.

She'd obviously been running, too. Not only was she slightly pink around the cheeks, but she'd also picked up her skirts so that she could move faster.

Niles winced as he tried to use his good arm to wave her over, "Hello, Mother..."

Letting out a whimper that told of her horror, Marie was at his side in an instant and checking him all over for other injuries.

"Niles! You 'ad me so worried! When zhey told me you 'ad fallen from Azhena, I 'ad imagined...oh, imagined zhe worst, mon cher! Eez eet only your arm zhat is 'urt?"

She was looking at him with such desperate panic that Niles tried his hardest to appear less in pain than he was feeling. His father would've told him to just buck up and be a man about it even if his mother wasn't there, but Niles wasn't doing it because he wanted to appear big or strong.

He hadn't felt less big or strong in a long time. He just wanted his mother to be a little bit less worried about him and his current state.

"It is only my arm and a couple of ribs, Mama. The rest of me is...still intact."

He wasn't really including his heart in that, but he'd rather leave Athena out of the conversation. Especially as his mother had been the one to gift her to him in the first place.

He wasn't completely sure he'd gotten away with it, though. His mother was looking at him oddly –in that special way mothers did, when they realised that their child was holding something back and there was more information that they could get, that they weren't currently.

Of course, that information was usually the worst part, which was why the child hadn't told their mother in the first place. To Niles, what had happened to Athena was the worst part - it would be the worst part for the longest time because he was half certain it was one of the worst things he'd ever done.

Or had to let somebody else do, anyway.

And he knew he would crack under the pressure, if his mother so much as even-

"You are not telling me zhe truth. Zhere eez somezhing else...did somezhing else happen, when you were on your way back to 'ere?"

Niles' willpower could only hold out for a few more seconds, at best. The moment he looked into her face and saw that she wasn't going to give in until she had an answer, the guilt set in and he was done for.

His face dropped to the floor, his head having hung so heavily that he thought his neck might snap.

"I had to...I had to let Maxwell put Athena out of her misery, Mama...her leg...I'd have done it, but my arm and ribs were...and her leg was broken so badly, there was nothing else I could do...!"

Niles had to make an effort to hold back the tears he wanted to let loose. He'd been taught by his father that men did not cry, and he was not planning on appearing weak. He knew Marie would probably chastise him for trying to appear strong in front of her, out of all people, but he couldn't help it.

He was who he was, and he didn't wish to humiliate himself.

"He...he made it quick. One swift cut across the neck and she was gone..." he said, his voice cracking ever so slightly as he spoke.

Knowing that it had been quick didn't help lighten the burden. It was the equivalent of taking a swig of strong liquor in order to soothe the ache – it helped take the edge off, but at the end of the day, the relief never lasted long enough.

"I...I am sorry, Mother – we both tried our best, but she is gone..."

He didn't look up to see her face, even though he couldn't imagine what her reaction would look like. If it had been his father, he would have simply told him to get over it because it was "just a horse" and maybe even chastised him for not bringing the body back so the dogs had meat.

Not that he would ever...ever...

He didn't even want to think of that. He wanted to-

"Oh, my poor boy..."

Before he knew it and could potentially protest, his mother had wrapped her arms around him, sure to be as delicate as she could be when getting close to his injured side.

The contact...wasn't unwelcome. His mother had always hugged him as a child, whenever he was upset or hurt, and he supposed that she wanted to comfort him in the same way as she had done all those years ago.

She was just as warm as she had been then, with a sweet smell of perfume that made Niles feel smaller than ever and want to curl up against her side. Somehow the hurt in his arm didn't seem so bad at that moment – he felt like he'd just been out training Athena, and had maybe fallen and scraped his elbow on the way back into the palace...

If only he were a little boy again, and Athena were safe in her stable...

Niles felt his lip start to wobble so he pressed down on it tightly, and sniffed lightly before tears – or, God forbid, a runny nose – could appear.

He didn't want anybody to see him looking so...upset. Not this childlike level of being upset, anyway.

Especially not the person he could just see past the crook of his mother's elbow, who had just walked in through the door to his chambers, apparently carrying fresh linens and some folded bandages.

"Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, Dr Potts sent me before he got here to lay out the bandages."

Hearing Lady Babcock behind her made Marie turn, and she smiled at her lady-in-waiting.

"Zhank you, chérie. Eet eez much appreciated."

"Yes, Lady Babcock, it is."

Her son's voice sounding so...conversational...made Marie turn back towards Niles, one eyebrow poised to rise quizzically.

In the time it had taken for Lady Babcock to get closer and for Marie to turn, Niles had somehow taken on the appearance of a man who wasn't in any pain at all. His arm might've still been horribly broken, but he was looking and acting like he couldn't feel a thing!

He was even continuing with conversation, even though it had seemed difficult before because of Athena...

"Of course, I won't be needing that many bandages," he gestured in a blasé fashion with his good arm. "I've seen combat! I've had far worse injuries than these – it almost doesn't even register! I always say that if it doesn't leave a scar, then really, can it truly be considered an injury?"

He ended that with a light peal of laughter, and Marie's lips began to curl into a smirk. He never usually ran his mouth like this in front of women, but he always did it when he was younger when he was eager to impress somebody he really and truly admired...

He was trying to make himself look big again, all for Lady Babcock!

This was certainly a more-than-interesting turn of events...!

Marie couldn't help but be intrigued. Some people might've found it intrusive on her son's private life and personal business, but she felt that the sudden change was too big to ignore. He never tried this hard with anybody – ever! If anything, he most often expected people to change their minds about him, rather than act the way he thought they might want him to...

He was definitely trying for the latter, still sat straight-backed and trying very hard to look like he didn't want to keel over in unbearable pain. And he was busy telling stories – just like he used to when he wanted the object of his admirations to pay attention to him, and to be impressed...

"Of course, I got that one by way of a stray sword swipe back a couple of years ago now – I had gone out into the middle of the battlefield to rescue a friend. He'd become trapped underneath his horse..."

Marie listened to every word of him talking himself up to Lady Babcock. Even mentioning how his own friend's horse had obviously fallen, it didn't take him back to thinking about what had happened with Athena...

No, when he was talking to Lady Babcock, he went somewhere else entirely!

It was rather…endearing, she supposed. Seeing him trying to act like a big, strong man to impress a girl he clearly liked. Marie couldn't help her amused smirk – it wasn't often that she liked it when her son put his eyes on a girl, but this time…well…she was curious to see how things were going to turn out.

She supposed the best course of action here was to let their relationship develop naturally. Always keeping a watchful eye on them, of course. And, from time to time, giving the occasional push in what she believed to be the right direction.

That started, quite obviously, with her putting an end to her son's incessant bragging. It was nice to hear about a man's heroic exploits for a little while, but Niles had to learn to toe the line between being interesting and being a being vain.

"Zhat eez impressive, my boy," she interrupted him. "But now I zhink eet eez time for you to lie down and wait for zhe doctor."

She gestured at C.C. so that she would come forward.

"Leave zhose bandages on zhe bedside table and come 'elp Niles lie down, please."

This would be the first little push in the right direction. She could probably even have a rough guess at how long it would take for the girl to start seeing these attempts Niles was making as actual proof of romantic interest.

It would all be clear in how she went about her next task - there would be a certain delicacy and tenderness about it. Probably even some awkwardness because of the closeness involved. She would study the reaction based on these, and then Marie would know for sure what she was going to have to do.

Again, perhaps some might have thought it far too great an intrusion into her son's private life and personal affairs, but if it made Niles happy at the end of the day, what was wrong with orchestrating fate a little?

She just sometimes wished that somebody had been around to do the same for her, and had managed to save her from her...situation. But that hadn't happened, and no amount of wishing would ever bring it back.

The best she could do now was see to it that their son was happy.

And as Lady Babcock gave a curtsy and came forward to help, Marie studied what happened next carefully.

She very gently put one hand on each of Niles' shoulder blades, her cheeks flushing bright red when her palms made contact with the prince's bare skin. She had never touched a man before – at least she had never touched anything but the skin of their hands.

She'd never imagined that this was how it was going to feel like, being close to a man. His skin was so very soft – so very warm…

C.C. had to shake her head, feeling her cheeks flush a deep red colour. What was wrong with her?! She was serving the prince, for the love of Christ! She had to keep it together, especially when her mistress was standing right there, watching her every movement. She had to be a responsible servant and properly perform her duties.

And that started with her making sure Prince Niles was as comfortable as he could possibly be, given his injuries.

Not that she'd dare to say anything about it, but she was incredibly worried for the prince. When she'd heard he'd been hurt while hunting she'd feared the worst – that he was gravely injured and wouldn't make it. She couldn't quite understand why, but she couldn't help worrying. She…she liked him. Very much so. She didn't want him to suffer. She wanted him to heal and go back to his usual self.

Knowing that it was not as bad as she feared it would be, and that it would only take a few weeks of recovery for him to be alright again, made her feel more relieved than she had over anything in a long time.

She didn't want to say too much on that, though. She didn't know why she felt that way and she suspected that it wouldn't be her place to even try and describe it. She supposed she had to think that everyone in the palace would feel the same way – that they were all so worried that their prince wasn't going to make it...

In there, she felt like some of them might be concerned if they were to be left without a king. She didn't suspect that most of them would have had him as their first experience of touching a man.

Although, some of them would, and that again led to an awkward and unpleasant feeling in her chest and stomach. She didn't like thinking about it, and she forcibly put it out of her mind again.

It didn't involve her. It never would.

And she had to get back to work, where her real place was.

It was the only one she'd ever have – she couldn't afford to lose it by standing around and feeling sorry for herself.

"How are you feeling, Your Royal Highness?" she asked, still not able to help the tinge of worry in her tone, even if she wanted to.

"Absolutely fine," Niles replied, clearly still doing his best at trying to keep a brave face. "As I said before, I have had far worse injuries than this!"

"Do you wish me to get you anything else?" she asked, subconsciously wringing her hands in apprehension.

But before Niles could answer, the doors to his bedchamber opened again to let Dr Potts and his staff in. Niles couldn't help but be somewhat relieved to see him there – Potts had been the family doctor for well over a decade, and he was probably the best bone-mender in the whole of England. He'd fixed plenty of Niles' fractures over the years, and he trusted this time it would be no different.

"Afternoon, Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness," said the doctor, curtsying to the two royals. "I came as fast as I could."

"Eet'z alright, doctor," Marie said, giving the man a gentle smile – she held Potts dear to her heart since he'd been the doctor who'd delivered her one and only surviving child. After Josephine's death, Joseph had fired the previous royal physician, and Potts had been chosen to replace him. Not only he'd met their rigorous standards, but he'd surpassed them, and he'd been in their service ever since. "As you can see, my son is doing well in spite of 'is broken bones."

She gave Niles a pointed look accompanied by a cheeky smile – she was going to have some fun at his expense, of course. He'd preened and boasted about his manhood in front of Lady Babcock. Now it was time to live up to what he'd said. If he really wanted to prove to Lady Babcock that he wasn't in any pain, he was going to have to put on one fine show, considering what was about to happen!

Niles smiled back at his mother, trying not to show that her words had just left him uneasy. He didn't like them when they were accompanied with that look – it made him think that she had something planned.

He didn't always like it when she had plans. Especially not when her next move was to smile at Lady Babcock from over her shoulder...

By the time he'd even guessed what that could mean, Dr Potts had come a little bit closer, bandages in hand.

"I will bind your rib cage first, Your Royal Highness," he explained. "So that I may then tend to your arm without having to later disturb it. Do you need a moment to brace yourself for this, sir?"

Niles looked between his mother, the doctor, and Lady Babcock. One of them knew he was already in pain and trying to hide it. One of them was about to put him in worse pain and there was nothing he could do about it...

And one of them absolutely didn't have to know that he was in pain at all, because he'd just spent the last few minutes trying to prove himself to be such a man that there was none.

He had to keep on with that ruse, didn't he? Saving face in front of Lady Babcock felt more important than a little tightness around his broken bones!

So, he gently waved his good arm dismissively, trying not to look like he was feeling – agonised.

"No, no – you may begin your work, Doctor."

His words, he was soon to feel, might have not been...as well thought through as his pride and his sense of masculinity wanted him to feel that they were. Even holding out his arm to let the doctor slip the bandages around him turned out to be an excruciating endeavour. But that part he did, in fact, hold up well. He'd barely let a whimper of effort escape his lips, and when he'd seen that Lady Babcock was watching he'd congratulated himself on not letting it show.

His mother had just looked impressed for a moment before returning to a knowing smirk, and Niles had then been definitely sure that he didn't like whatever she was thinking and whatever it was that she was trying to prove.

He had thought he could handle it. Then came the moment of truth, when the good doctor prepared to tighten the first of the bandages for the first time.

"Here we go, sir!"

And he tightened. And Niles felt like his sides were screaming like he was being crushed unbearably and like...like...

Like he needed to cry out, to let out just some of what his body was feeling...!

But Lady Babcock was still watching, and he knew that if he wanted to remain impressive instead of appearing pathetic, then he had to direct the pain and need to shout elsewhere.

Unfortunately, his mother hadn't chosen to make it easy for him.

"'Ow does zhat feel, son?"

He plastered on such a false smile, he was afraid his face would crack, but it held long enough for him to speak.

"_Fine_, Mother...just fine..."

Marie could tell he wasn't fine – his eyes were watery and his breathing had become irregular, but to his credit, he was putting up a good show for Lady Babcock's sake. Marie could potentially have some more fun at his expense, but given that her boy really was in pain due to the fall and the loss of his beloved Athena, Marie chose to go easy on him.

But only this time.

Her boy was way too used to getting on his high horse, and he sometimes needed reminding that he ought to be a little more down to Earth, even if he was to be the next King of England. Luckily for him, it appeared to Marie that Lady Babcock was doing exactly just that for the prince.

"Zhat's good to 'ear, my boy," said the Queen, patting his head. "Would you like me to 'old your 'and, darling? You always did when you were little!"

Much to the delight of the "parent determined to embarrass their child" side of her personality, Niles turned a very interesting shade of crimson in response.

"No, thank you, Mother," his voice was strained as he replied, and his eyes kept darting quickly towards Lady Babcock. He might've been trying to see her reaction to what was going on. "I am a grown man; I don't need my hand to be held through this."

He was really and truly hoping that she'd stop after that. If Lady Babcock saw his mother mollycoddling him as though he were a boy of five, what would she think?!

Whatever it was, it wouldn't be good. He wouldn't be able to look her in the face again without wondering if she saw a man or a boy...!

And his mother really wasn't helping. She was insisting on trying to stroke his hair, and on the brink of crooning all the way.

"Really? Are you sure zhat you do not need your mama to help? I was always able to, when you were small enough to sit on my knee..."

Niles felt like screaming again and that only slightly had something to do with the bandages Dr Potts was still winding tightly around his middle.

"I am fine with you being exactly where you are, Mother," he felt his face growing hot from the flush in his cheeks, and tried to move as much as he could away from his mother's petting. "I am not...small...!"

Niles had to suppress a groan of pain as he spoke. The doctor was doing a wonderful job, there was no denying, but did it hurt like hell. It was almost a mercy when the doctor told him he could lie down once again, something for which he required help.

Help, of course, which was eagerly given to him by his mother, who still was going on about all the many times childhood mischief had resulted in Niles rushing back into the palace, seeking both comfort and care in his mother's arms.

He really hoped it didn't show, but he felt as if his face were on fire — especially when Lady Babcock seemed to be enjoying (enjoying!) his mother's stories.

Was this how every mother behaved when their offspring wanted to impress a girl?

"...and zhere was one time when Niles was around five years of age when 'is fazher accidentally dropped 'im while carrying 'im on 'is shoulders. You should 'ave seen bozh of zheir faces — fazher and son, bozh crying like two big babies!"

Lady Babcock clutched at her heart and crooned, apparently overwhelmed with endearment, and Niles wished that the fall from Athena had killed him.

He remembered the day his mother was talking about, which didn't help his case in the blushing department. He didn't like remembering feeling so... small, when Lady Babcock was right there and listening to how small he was! And he knew his father would probably be beside himself with rage, if he knew his mother had told somebody else that he'd cried – for all the world knew, King Joseph did _not_ cry!

He'd drummed it into Niles that crying was a woman's occupation. No man who wanted to impress a woman could ever let her know that he'd cried in his life. She'd immediately see him as weak, and she'd probably take her time and her attentions elsewhere.

None of the others he'd ever spent...closer...time with had ever seen him cry. He'd still be sad and pathetic (as having no experience made one, his father often said) if they had.

Not that any of this seemed to bother his mother right then. She was gladly going on with stories for Lady Babcock's delight.

And each one seemed to be worse than the next.

"Or zhere was zhe first time zhat Niles ever saw a fully grown 'orse-"

"Excuse my interruption, but was His Royal Highness spooked by a horse the first time he saw one?!"

Lady Babcock sounded far too pleased for his liking – her suggestion. wasn't even true, as he would have protested heavily if it hadn't been for his mother cutting back in.

"Oh, no – 'e loved zhem from zhe very first moment! Unfortunately, zhey did not love a zhree-year-old getting so close, shouting out in 'is delight...! Zhey were spooked, and when zhey reared up zhat is what sent Niles running back to me, crying 'is little 'eart out! 'E asked me zhat night why zhe 'orses didn't like 'im...!"

Niles found himself wishing he were dead (or at least unconscious) for what it felt was the millionth time that day. He normally liked having two women gushing over him, but this time the situation was all too different. He'd rather his mother stopped telling all her oh-so-charming anecdotes about his years as a child, but knowing her she was going to milk this opportunity for all it was worth.

Niles couldn't help releasing a tired groan.

At least the whole thing got moved out of the forefront of his mind when Dr Potts spoke up again.

"It is now time for me to set your arm, Your Royal Highness," he explained. "You may remain where you are for it, though I must ask that you hold as still as you possibly can. And I apologise in advance for any...discomfort, that this may cause you..."

Niles at this stage was just ready to let him bring the whole thing on. He needed the distraction from his mother picking out best-forgotten parts of his life to amuse Lady Babcock, and he thought getting on with why they were actually supposed to be there might be a good idea.

So, he nodded at the doctor to proceed. Besides, after the rib cage, how bad could it possibly––

––the sharpest pain he'd ever felt surging through him from his arm all the way upwards and outwards forced a scream of agony from his mouth.

He'd never had pain like that before – it surged and overwhelmed, even as Potts did his best to be delicate setting the bone back in place. It was really no use. Niles just had to put up with it, and a few, painful tears leaked from the corners of his eyes with the effort.

Tears that his mother noticed right away. In her mind, how could she not? She was his mother – any pain that he had, became her pain, too.

And he was hurting enormously.

Dropping all thought of trying to embarrass him any further, she was at his side in an instant. All motherly instinct took over when it sensed that her boy needed him.

"Sweet'eart...! Are you feeling alright? Zhat was quite a...quite a scream..."

The same sort of worry was busy overtaking C.C.'s chest, too. She'd never heard Prince Niles complain about any kind of injury, even the ones that he'd been trying so hard to hide from them only moments ago!

He must have really had to be in pain that time...worse pain than having snapped ribs...

She couldn't even imagine it!

But the very thought of him being in distress compelled her to do something.

"Can I...can get you something, Your Royal Highness, to...to ease it?" she stepped forward, blinking hurriedly. "Whiskey, perhaps?"

As numbing as liquor often was, Niles doubted very much that anything could take this away. It would burn through any kind of blissful haze that whiskey might settle over him!

It was simply overwhelming. Even listening to what anybody else was saying represented an effort – almost too much of one.

And it was the same with replying to questions, no matter how well-intentioned they were.

"No, Lady Babcock...don't trouble yourself with it..."

He gasped every word of his reply, and Marie looked like she wasn't having any of it specifically for that reason.

"Eet would trouble us far more for you to be left een pain," she told him. "You do not 'ave to be proud, eef you are not feeling well..."

Marie gestured over to C.C. for her to pour Niles a generous serving of strong, heady liquor – it certainly wouldn't take the pain away, but it would numb it for a little while. Hopefully, long enough for Niles to make it through Pott's treatment without bursting into tears.

Marie disliked her son imbibing, but she had to accept that alcohol was a necessary evil on the odd occasion. This, clearly, was one of those occasions. She'd much rather Niles be drunk than in pain.

They had no time to squander, at any rate – Niles needed relief and he needed it now.

Almost as if to stress this idea, Niles let out a plaintive cry as the doctor started to carefully bandage his shattered arm. It was obvious to both women that the prince was trying to keep his composure for the sake of saving face in front of them, but neither would have any of it.

They wanted him to get through this with as little pain and discomfort as possible, and he truly wouldn't be helping them to do that if he hid how much pain he was in.

At least he wasn't behaving entirely like his father in this case, Marie thought to herself, as she watched her son take the half-full glass of whiskey from Lady Babcock. Joseph would've probably insisted that he was fine and knocked the alcohol away, and then probably have given the girl a disgustingly lascivious wink and told her that he could prove he was still just as much of a man as ever he was, if she'd care to find out.

Niles was in too much pain currently to even think of trying that one. The gulps of the deep golden liquid were almost desperate, and he was probably long finished with the thing before he'd reached an ideal level of comfort. Potts had had to pause in his treatment, too, so that the prince didn't spill the drink on his bandages, which would just make the whole process harder.

Marie bit the inside of her lip, frowning carefully, "Do you need anozher one, my son? Lady Babcock can pour you as many as you need..."

Niles nodded swiftly, motioning for another serving of whiskey to be poured and then guzzling it down in a split second before asking for yet another serving.

He needed it, right then and there – the pain was still overwhelming, but he could feel a tingling sensation that might develop into blissful numbness. That would take care of everything, the moment it spread over his entire body.

Lady Babcock didn't take long with the alcohol. Perhaps she could see that he meant for her to hurry – she always had been good at her duties, no matter what they involved...

The goblet was in his hand and he was filling himself with mouthfuls of liquor again within moments. And when that one was done, another soon followed. The doctor was still going at his painful work, but numbness was spreading inside Niles – his head felt...odd...

The liquor must have finally gotten to him...

Once he'd finished his latest goblet, he pushed it back into Lady Babcock's waiting hands and he blinked up at her.

He was so very grateful that she was helping. She had to know. She deserved to know – someone so good and perfect had to be made aware of it! And he had to be the one to do it, before some...some...lord or knight with a charming...grin of a smile told her – he wouldn't be second place to something like that!

"You are an angel of mercy among mortals, Lady Babcock..."

She even looked like an angel, stood there all tall and golden...her hair had to feel like silk – there wasn't any way a goddess couldn't feel or be perfect from her head to her toes...

He remembered, dimly in his mind, once seeing a completely gold statue of an animal god that some trader or privateer or explorer or whatever had brought back from...somewhere...for his father.

He'd thought it had been the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. But he'd been wrong. That statue paled to tin in comparison – how could it compete, with those golden locks he wanted to run his fingers through, or those rubies she had for lips, or those sapphires she called her eyes?

She was golden all over, and she sparkled and shone in the sunlight...

Niles gave the maid a loopy smile, finding her blushing both incredibly endearing and, strangely enough, ridiculously funny. He wanted to laugh at the noticeable reddish hue that had settled on her porcelain cheeks – but his mirth was not born out of mockery, no, it was born out of...well...endearment, he supposed.

Still, he didn't laugh. He knew women did not appreciate being made a mockery and, more importantly, it wasn't gentlemanly to do so. He had to thank whatever remaining sobriety left in him for realising so and not having laughed at what could only be described as an angel.

Instead, he reached out for her hand with his good arm and, for a second or two, he held her hand tightly in his. He didn't hold onto her for long (mainly because he lacked strength and the whiskey was making him rather sleepy), but it was long enough for him to feel the softness of her delicate hands in his. It was long enough for both prince and maid to feel like their hearts had missed a beat or two.

Not that the prince knew it, but C.C. had seldom experienced the touch of a man, in any shape or form. The last time she'd been in close proximity to a male (that wasn't her father or brother) was at the ball that had been thrown in Niles' honour, back when he'd just come back from military training.

She'd danced with a man then, and walked with him in the palace gardens. The night had been beautiful, and she'd had a wonderful time talking with him...

But she'd had to leave, when her father had come to tell her that her sister was sick. Too sick.

That had been the only other time, and it had been so very quickly followed by the most devastating time in her life. The only thing which could be considered good was that she'd managed to find a job at the palace.

Things definitely had been getting better from there. Even if some of it still hurt.

Not that anything hurt, currently. It had all been replaced by a kind of excited rush; it left her breathless, even if she tried hard to make sure that nobody noticed. Prince Niles was clearly a happy – and grateful – drunk. But she was a sober maid, and she had to remember her place.

Even if that wasn't easy, with him looking at her the way he was.

She offered him a smile, aware of the heat still in her cheeks.

"I do my best to serve, Your Royal Highness."

It was about the only thing she could say, without giving too much away. Anything else and somebody might start questioning why a maid such as herself was getting so friendly with a prince.

And a long queue of idle gossipers would be waiting to mention how said prince had every maid in the palace at the first chance he got. It didn't make any of them special. That thought stung enough for her to remember to let go of his hand and clear her throat, looking to the floor all the while.

"Would His Royal Highness care for some more alcohol? It seems to be doing...quite a trick, while His Royal Highness is still being bandaged..."

It was at that moment that Marie leaned over and whispered to her.

"I think 'e might've 'ad enough, chérie. Look at 'im."

C.C. did as the queen said and looked up, only to see that Niles hadn't moved from the position he'd been in when he'd withdrawn his hand after she'd taken hers back; eyes shining (blearily) up at her, mouth wide in a beaming smile.

He didn't even seem to notice that Potts was still going.

Perhaps it was better this way – it meant that the pain was not so overwhelming anymore, which was exactly what they'd been after. The cycle would probably need to be repeated quite a few times over the next few days, but at least was on his way to recovery.

It would mean no partying, riding, hunting or (as much as Marie detested to even think about it) cavorting with pretty young things for a long, long while. Which, it quickly dawned on the Queen, was not a bad thing.

It was, in fact, the _opposite_ of a bad thing – it was the ideal opportunity for her son and Lady Babcock to spend some time together! What's more, if she played her cards just right, this might as well be the little push these two needed. She could very well appoint Lady Babcock as her son's nurse and caregiver, which would mean, coincidentally enough, that she'd have to spend most (if not all) her time looking after him.

Still, she was going to keep an eye on the both of them – a close eye, at that. She knew her son disliked when she mucked about with his life, but as the saying goes, "mother knows best". And she was bloody certain about Lady Babcock being exactly what her son needed.

If everything went as well as Marie hoped it could (and that was a strong hope, after what she'd just seen), Lady Babcock could be the cure for everything that ailed her son. Well, potentially, she could be the cure for everything that ailed the palace, but finding out if she was right about that would come a long way in the future.

But it was a future that started with one simple decision that she was about to make.

She smiled once more at the state her son was in, then turned fully to Lady Babcock.

"I think I should appoint you to be 'is nurse for zhe time eet takes 'im to recover, chérie," she told her, trying hard not to sound too excited or happy at this prospect. The girl might get suspicious if she did. "You can supply 'im more liquor when zhe doctor checks and changes 'is bandages, bring 'is meals and see to eet zhat 'is laundry eez taken away – eet could be very efficient..."

Efficient, Marie thought, and it would prevent him from charming other maids by limiting his contact with them alone.

The only one of any serving rank he'd be alone with for all that time was Lady Babcock.

And that was something Marie didn't mind one bit. She didn't think she could have created a better match for her son if she'd been born divine, and had been able to create, shape and model a person from the ground-up to be just perfect.

Lady Babcock herself would probably say that she obviously wasn't perfect. But when Marie looked at the stupid smile her son was still giving the girl, even after said girl had turned away (towards Marie, nearly gaping at what she'd just been asked to do), the queen could only imagine that at least one person in the room would disagree.

Not that she knew.

"Your Majesty...!" Lady Babcock exclaimed softly, one hand clutching at her chest. "You...you mean it? You would not miss my service to you while I had to help His Royal Highness?"

"Zhat eez not important, my dear – 'is Royal 'ighness needs you more zhan I do," replied the Queen, waving a dismissive hand and smiling brightly at the young girl. "Now, why don't you start on your duties by 'elping to tuck 'im in?"

With a muttered, "Yes, Your Majesty" the girl was off, soon helping the prince ensconce himself in his comfortable bed. Marie could see her diligence, and how she was taking extreme care not to bother the prince's injuries. Her nimble fingers were delicate and soft, and Marie congratulated herself on her having had the gumption to come up with this perfect plan.

Yes, before either knew so, they'd be truly and deeply taken with one another.

But just as she was about to take her leave (so as to give them some privacy), the doors to Niles' room were opened again, and through them strode the last man Marie wanted to see: _her husband._

Lady Babcock must have spotted him out of the corner of her eye, because she gasped under her breath and came hurrying forward to curtsy before the king. After seeing her move and looking up in the same direction, Niles noticed him too, and immediately waved his good hand up in the air cheerfully.

"Good day, Papa!"

The king raised his eyebrows at the scene.

"Now, just what is going on in here?" he asked, quickly stepping further into the room. "I'd heard from some jabbering steward that my son had fallen from his horse!"

Marie nodded as quickly as her husband had walked, wanting to get him out of there as well. They'd never get any privacy if he decided to stay!

"'e did, Joseph. 'e broke 'is arm and a few ribs. But Doctor Potts saw to zhem, and now, after 'elping supply 'im with whiskey during zhe process, Lady Babcock 'as agreed to be 'is nurse. She eez een zhe process of putting 'im to bed right now."

She gestured to the girl, who nodded in confirmation.

Joseph's mouth formed a thoughtful line, "Hm. I see..."

Marie held her breath. What could her husband have to say about this? Was he going to demand that Lady Babcock step back from her duties? He had no reason to, other than if he decided to suddenly go back on their agreement...

That was when, at last, the king spoke again.

"Very well," he said, using one hand to flick at the air, ushering the maid away. "Return to your duties, girl. We wouldn't want our prince going without when he needs care."

Lady Babcock nodded and curtsied again, "I'll see to him right now, Your Majesty."

With that, she turned and went back to her assigned duty.

Marie hoped it would turn into far more than that, though.

But it didn't escape her notice that Joseph was – perhaps blatantly – looking past her at Lady Babcock as she went away, back to where Niles beamed brightly upon noticing she had returned.

The queen felt disgust churn in her stomach before her husband had even said anything. And she knew it would only get worse when he did speak.

"If I had her plying me with whiskey and getting me into bed, I'd be grinning all over my face like that, too...!" Joseph said, chuckling under his breath.

It was worse – somehow worse than Marie had originally imagined it would be.

Why did her husband, out of every type of man in England, have to be the type that acted this way? The type that didn't care whose feelings he hurt because they weren't his, and who only saw women as things that he could just pick up and play with whenever he wanted, before dropping them again until the next time?

Why was he the type who would, of course, go back on their agreement and meddle by... interfering ...with Lady Babcock, ruining her chances at finding more with Niles, and then claim he "just couldn't help" himself?

Well, he wasn't going back on it today, in any capacity. Marie was going to take a stand, and give their son and Lady Babcock a fighting chance. And she was going to do the girl a favour, by keeping the king's disgusting hands off her.

"Remember our agreement, Joseph," she warned him in a low voice. "You promised you would not meddle!"

Joseph looked offended and annoyed. Angry, even. He often got that way when she told him not to stare at other women and girls.

"Am I meddling by making an observation?" he asked mockingly. "Besides, my own fun with any little thing has never stopped Niles having his at a later date before now."

Marie thought she might be sick at that (especially the idea of them both laughing at and about the poor girls they'd used later), but she held back. The anger had to come out first, and the determination to protect what she knew she had started was far stronger.

She took a step towards her husband. The pig she'd had to marry.

"Eet might've not stopped Niles "'aving fun" as you so put eet, but eef you interfere wizh eizher of zhem in any way, I will stop you from 'aving zhe fun zhat we agreed on."

There was a moment of silence, and then Joseph let out a quiet cough when he realised she really meant it – she'd go back on their agreement and he'd have to go back to charming his way through maids and paying off whores, instead of getting to demand it whenever he wanted in his very own chambers...

Maybe letting Niles have one plaything to himself wasn't a bad idea...

So, he caved in.

"Alright, fine," he replied gruffly. He knew just what she had to do to make up for what he was going to miss out on, though. "But you are going to have to make up for whatever I would have gotten that girl to do."

Again, Marie thought she could be sick. The fact that her husband talked as if Lady Babcock wasn't even a person who could do as she pleased, and instead referred to her as some sort of slave to his genitals who'd simply do what he said because his body was just that much of a talisman to women, made her sick.

But she'd go in the girl's place. Lady Babcock still had a chance at being happy.

"Very well," the queen replied, turning and starting to walk out of their son's chambers. She knew just where to head, too. "Let's go."

She heard her husband's hideously eager footsteps behind her as she walked, and knew that the agreement was safe for now.

Niles and Lady Babcock's near-fledgling relationship was safe for now.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter 8**_

Pain.

That came through his mind and body before anything else. Even before the light that usually came with opening his eyes. Not that that felt easy to do. Both of them felt like they'd been caked over with sand. Unbearably warm, heavy sand that also formed a thin layer across the inside of his mouth.

Niles didn't remember it ever feeling so dry in there...!

He tried to lift to lift his arm and wipe at eyes, so he could look for a goblet of water, but a searing-hot pain shot through his arm and up his shoulder when he did. He immediately flinched, sucking in a breath through his teeth

Luckily, in a sense (even though nothing about this felt lucky), that was enough to snap his mind right back, correctly into place, and to let him remember exactly what had gone on.

He'd fallen from his horse...

Athena was...his horse was gone...his girl, who'd been with him since as long as he could remember...

That hurt him inside nearly as much as the injuries he now remembered outside. What made it worse was that he couldn't even really properly cry out to release any of the frustration or pain.

Not that he didn't want to; it was just nearly physically impossible without hurting himself more. They'd bandaged up his ribs (he remembered a lot of whiskey being involved, but there was only a blank space in his memory after that), and the cast was weighing his chest down too much to let him even attempt speaking.

Though it nearly happened by itself, when Lady Babcock peeled back the curtain of his four-poster bed.

"I beg your pardon for me letting myself in, Your Royal Highness," she said, gesturing to a tray carried in the crook of her arm. It seemed to have a bowl on it, and a plate. "But you weren't answering my knocking, and I have your breakfast."

The light, when Niles wasn't thinking about how much it hurt to look at, seemed to surround her like a halo. It seemed...natural, to make that connection, between Lady Babcock and heavenly light...

And that was when it struck him like a brick to the face.

_Oh, God. It was natural and familiar because he'd told her that!_

It was all coming back to him just seeing her there! It made him want the bed to swallow him. Had he really told her that he wished her eyes were large enough to dive into, like an ocean?

He must have, if he remembered it happening then! Along with trying to grab her hands and then telling her that if she walked each of her fingers across a map of the country, he'd give her each of the first ten places they landed on!

It only got worse, the more he remembered.

"_Lady...Babcock, do you prefer emeralds or sapphires? Both look nice in statues. They should make you a statue – lots of people would come to see it..."_

"_You are the best of all cherubim and seraphim, my lady. I will be sad if you are called by the Lord to do your duty elsewhere..."_

"_Though if it's that duty I won't...won't argue. If some...charmer with a big horse and a title comes into the palace and sweeps you away, then I'll..."_

He didn't know if he felt fortunate that he'd passed out after that, with Lady Babcock still desperately trying to tuck him in. But the one thing he knew for sure was that she'd seen him at what had to be the most shameful period of his whole existence.

He'd obviously wanted to be so poetic, smooth and charming. She'd gotten a drunken, embarrassing mess! How could he ever look at her properly again, knowing that she'd seen him at his lowest and least heroic? What could she possibly think of him now?!

That, combined with the pain of literally everything else in his body, was enough to force his first words of the day out of his throat.

"Oh, _God_!"

Naturally, his pained (and mortified) cry both startled and worried Lady Babcock, who was soon fussing all over him, having left his breakfast on his bedside table.

"Your Royal Highness!" she cried out, hands instinctively going to the covers and pulling them back — if there was something bothering the prince, she needed to see. Even if that entailed having to stare at Prince Niles' half-naked form. Only his briefs had been left on — a pair of rather...flimsy briefs that left very little to the imagination.

C.C. could feel beads of sweat forming in the small of her back, and both her palms and face were becoming increasingly damp. Why did it suddenly feel like she'd walked into a bloody sauna?!

Well, she knew why – she just wouldn't allow herself to even think about the possibility that she might be attracte—

'_Enough of that!' _C.C. mentally chastised herself and shook her head. She had to focus – the prince was in pain. The prince, who'd suffered a rather traumatic array of injuries the day before.

The prince, who was her _superior_. The prince, who could have any girl in the palace (and did), but that didn't make them special to him. The prince, who'd one day marry a princess or a duchess or a lady who didn't serve breakfasts or change bandages on behalf of the queen––

'_Shut up!' _

She violently shook all those thoughts from her head. It wasn't right for her to be thinking about any of them – she had to accept her place, and tend to whatever was ailing His Royal Highness at that moment in time.

It was what a good maid would do. One who knew and understood her lot in life.

"Is something bothering you, sir?" she gulped and tried to look only as much as she needed to. That involved a lot of glancing and then having to look away to tell herself that she was a maid and she wasn't special, to him or to anybody. "Have some of your bandages been disturbed...?!"

She couldn't help but be worried. Luckily, it was within the rights and boundaries of a servant to care for their master's wellbeing. If it hadn't...well, then she'd have been truly lost. She didn't think that she couldn't care. Not even if it was her place, and more than likely her ultimate fate, to end up alone.

Right now, while looking at the prince, that thought made her sad. Especially after he'd said...so many things...while he was drunk...

She nearly chuckled, endeared at the thought. She'd never been told before that she deserved all the swans in the world! Did he mean it, though? He couldn't have meant it. He probably said the same thing and a dozen other lines like it to every girl who walked in the door, whether he was drunk or sober.

But he'd said so many of them, and they'd been so...so... – _no._

Again, she had to remind herself that she was just a maid and she wasn't special to him. It was the drink, and his own nature letting things slip and trying to trick her into believing it...

That thought hurt so badly in her chest, and took any hint of a smile from her face. She supposed she just had to get tougher about it. A lot of maids stayed alone, and it didn't kill any of them.

She wouldn't let it kill her, either. She'd do as maids did, and she'd be good at it.

And it was worrying her more that the prince hadn't answered.

"Do you need pain relief?" she asked. "Nod if it is too much to speak."

Niles nearly considered pushing through again to tell her that some of the discomfort he was feeling, the primary source of his loud complaining, couldn't be cured by bringing him whiskey.

Granted, it could take away the embarrassment for a little while, but eventually he would have to be sober and remember again.

And, when he did, he'd have to worry and potentially remember going all...idiotic on Lady Babcock again. That was the last thing he could afford to have happen, if he wanted her to think of him as being any kind of impressive man!

He had to agree with his drunk self that he didn't want some charm-filled, other apparently "impressive" and swaggering boor fooling her into thinking that he had everything she needed. Or, even worse, actually having everything she needed and then taking her away from there...

But he couldn't tell her that he didn't want that to happen, either. He had to be as masculine as his father, and that involved never acting like an overly emotional fool around women.

He shook his head no, and tried to push all thoughts of his shameful behaviour out of his mind. He didn't need any more alcohol – that plan had already backfired horribly.

Lady Babcock looked at him like he'd just told her that he felt absolutely fine and dandy – and, what was more, he was going to prove it by getting up and going cliff diving right that instant. She blinked confusedly, and her foot took an unplanned step backwards from her spot at the bedside.

"Are you really quite sure, sir? There's plenty of it if you do need it; there's no sense in being proud..."

The last part struck a real chord with the prince.

_There's no sense in being proud..._

Did she mean that there was no sense in refusing? Or was she going deeper, and telling him that there was no sense in trying to impress her with his stronger, more masculine persona, because she'd already seen that that wasn't always him? Had he been so much of a fool that she was simply telling him not to bother? Had he ruined everything in one go without meaning to?

He sincerely hoped he hadn't, even if he knew that possibility was fleeting. He'd had affairs with plenty of women before, he'd had them swoon all over him and his manly feats time and time again – hell, he and his father kept tally of how many women they'd slept with! Women giving him attention was the norm, and Lady Babcock had not adhered to this unspoken rule. He'd been taught to not lose time with self-important wenches, and had it been any other woman who'd refused his advances, he would have swiftly moved on to his next romantic conquest…

But he couldn't do so with her. He didn't wish to. He wanted to spend time with her, he wanted to share stories, card games, books, laughs, cups of tea… he wanted to have her around.

To think that overdoing it with the whiskey had cost him her friendship was a very much loathed (but, at the same time, frighteningly real) possibility. He had no idea how to proceed, he'd never been in a position where he had to remedy or make up for his previous behaviour before. His father had taught him to be unapologetic – he was what he was, whether people liked it or not. But it didn't feel right.

Not when it came to Lady Babcock.

So, perhaps, if it meant keeping her friendship, an apology was due. He'd found himself doing what had once been a foreign action rather frequently these days...

He took in as much of a breath as he could with his bandages, hesitating.

He still wasn't fully sure how to start these things. His father had told him time and time again that they were above all others and simply had no need to be sorry for anything they did. And, if other people didn't like it, then that was their bad luck. Niles didn't have to be the one to start that conversation.

But he didn't want Lady Babcock to be the one to start it, either. He didn't want to have to hear exactly how embarrassing she found him, or how...put off...she was by him telling her all of these things.

His father would call him an idiot for all of it. Especially seeing as it hadn't even led to him getting anything in return. The king would have said that a real man would've taken full advantage of that situation, drunk or otherwise...

But Niles didn't feel right or good about that, either. He felt...better about trying to apologise. He had to do it. He couldn't delay it any longer if he wanted any chance at her not thinking he was a complete disgrace of a human being.

So, he let out the breath, and managed to rasp.

"'M...sorry, for...being so..._shameful_, yesterday..."

C.C. was almost convinced that she hadn't heard him correctly, when he first said that. It wasn't often that she heard the words "I'm sorry" from anybody these days, and that was doubly true for the prince!

But when she looked – really and truly looked – into his blue (if currently bloodshot and dulled) eyes, she could see that he meant every word.

Not that she fully understood why he'd said it. Of course, when a person was drunk they often felt shameful of their behaviour the next morning, but he hadn't done anything that was too embarrassing...

Unless he was apologising for saying things he didn't really mean? For letting his mouth get away with him, to the point that when he remembered it in the morning light, he realised that none of that should have left his mouth?

She supposed it was at least different to being the type of "not special" that just got somebody thrown away when they were no longer fun for him. But it still hurt, as a possibility.

Nevertheless, she knew she could appreciate his honesty, and his apology.

She offered him a quick smile, "There isn't anything to apologise for, Your Royal Highness – now, shall I help you sit up, sir? So you can have breakfast?"

She had to move the whole thing forward, before he noticed that anything might be upsetting her. She didn't want to have to answer any awkward questions that might come up, and she really didn't want to have to continue thinking too deeply about it all.

She could distract herself from the knowledge of her reality compared to her wildest fantasies, by working. And that, she knew, was how she'd make it through everything.

Niles, meanwhile, had noticed that Lady Babcock had moved on from his apology awfully quickly. But it wasn't playing on his mind for the reasons that she might think.

She'd been in such a hurry to change the subject. The only reason for that could be that she wanted to move swiftly onto the next task, then the next, and then so on and so forth until she could go to tend to something nicer than his sorry self!

Had he really been so much of an embarrassment in his drunken state that she now wanted to be out of his presence as quickly as possible?!

Fixing this mistake was going to take drastic measures, and probably every ounce of charm he thought he possessed. He didn't really know where to start – Lady Babcock was not like any of the women he'd ever been with before, so plying her with treats, jewels or clothes was out of the question.

Maybe books? She'd told him she liked book when they'd first had tea. He had some pretty rare volumes his father had brought from mainland Europe that he knew he was not going to read, but she might be interested in them. Still, it didn't feel _right. _Lady Babcock had made it abundantly clear that material gifts would not serve the purpose of getting her back into her good books.

She had honour and pride, two things, Niles soon realised, that were…well…_attractive_ to him. Usually, women surrendered at his feet, doing anything and everything he wanted, regardless if they really wanted to do so or not. Pride would fly out of the window when he was around, but that hadn't been Lady Babcock's case.

She…she was different.

Different in a way he found both intriguing and, at times, frustrating.

She'd said no to his every gift, except…

Except having tea with him!

That was it! If he wanted to fix his misgivings, doing so over a cup of tea and nice treats was the way to go!

He cast his eyes over to the table where she'd settled his breakfast tray. Hm. There was more than enough for one person there, and it would be easy enough for Lady Babcock to get herself another plate and a cup for tea.

Or, she could stay with him and they could call somebody else to get the plate and cup. That was another option...

Either way, he first had to pluck up the courage and ask her to join him. He was wasting time just thinking it to himself, whilst she was stood there, probably thinking about the day before and how he'd made such an arse of himself, even if she'd be too good and polite to say so...

He had to get the question out. He had to make up for it before the entire memory made him squirm so hard that he slipped his own way out of his bandages without meaning to!

"Please," he told her at last, before clearing his throat. "Um. Please, help me – but, uh, I would also...like it very much if you would join me for breakfast..."

Part of him regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. Not because it was the first time he'd ever said that to a woman (his father had raised him under the belief that a woman was of no use unless she had pleasures to offer, and as such there was no sense in spending time with one unless there was something to be gained from it), or because talking was still proving something of an issue.

It was because he was convinced that she would say no.

She'd have every reason to, after the way he'd behaved. And having breakfast right there and then with no prior warning or preparation was very different to arranging an afternoon tea. There were standards that would be met – other people would be awake and around, and coming in and out taking plates and refilling teapots.

Breakfast would just be the two of them, early in the morning and with very little chance of any disturbances.

His father would probably term that a golden opportunity, but Niles just wanted to know what Lady Babcock's answer would be to the offer that he had presented. She had every right in the world to say no, even if he very much hoped that she wouldn't.

He held her breath as she seemed to consider his request, hands fidgeting nervously with the lace of her bodice. She was going to say no, wasn't she? Otherwise she would not look so contrite. He was such an idiot! He should have known better, he should have kept his mouth shut and not sa–

"I…I'd be glad to join His Royal Highness for breakfast, if he so desires," she said, still not looking entirely at ease, but nevertheless trying to smile. "I shall look for some food, so I won't take any from His Royal Highness' plate."

"No, please, don't go!" Niles said, hand darting forward to clasp itself around C.C.'s, "I… I'd be more than happy to share. After all, there's more than enough for me and for at least two more people."

He had never shared his food with anybody. Even when he'd been but a small boy, his mother had told him, he would pout and protest if she so much as playfully took one chunk of carrot off his plate!

But now...now, he wanted Lady Babcock to share it.

He'd had the opportunity to let her get her own, but he hadn't let her take that. Not when there was already so much here, waiting to be sampled together!

He...couldn't actually wait to see what she thought, if he was honest with himself. He wanted to know more about her likes and dislikes, and where better to start than by learning more about what she liked to eat?

Not that C.C. had given him an answer yet. She was too busy being...well, completely overwhelmed by his very offer!

Why was he even making it in the first place?! Not that she wasn't grateful – she'd hardly had time for a mouthful of bread that morning – but he was a prince! That food was prepared for him, not some maid who happened to be bringing it!

Some maid, whom he was holding hands with...and whom he'd complimented over and over again, and who would have to be forced to sit near him in order to eat...was this just another ploy? A tactic to get her to cave in to something? And then once she had, she'd really be shown the cold light of day, when the fact that still none of it made her special reared its ugly-yet-truthful head?

But he hadn't tried any other tactic so far that day, like playing up his injuries for sympathy, and he'd already apologised for yesterday. He'd seemed...very ashamed of himself, for what had happened. And he was right, in that there was enough food for them both...

Well. He was bandaged up too tight to move without help, so if it came down to...anything...she could get away easily enough...

And the offer, in the part of her mind that didn't hiss in suspicion any time the prince said something to her, welcomed the offer.

So, she let herself start to smile, "That would be...a lovely gesture. I...thank you, Your Royal Highness..."

She didn't think she'd ever seen him look so delighted before.

"Really? You will? Thank you, Lady Babcock! I can assure you that I will-_aghh_!"

In his moment of blissful happiness, the prince must have forgotten the state that he was in, because he had tried to sit up. The bandages holding his ribs in place bent, and he almost doubled over!

Gasping, C.C. immediately reached over to help him lay out flat again, "Oh, Your Royal Highness! Here, let me help you..."

Within a few minutes, he was feeling well enough to try sitting up again, but that time C.C. insisted on helping ease him upright.

She also insisted on being the one to reach over and get the tray for them both to share from. She cited what had just happened with his ribs and his broken arm as evidence that he shouldn't attempt move one muscle.

And they were there, sat next to each other on and in the bed, eating leftover meat from the night before, bread and honey, and soft cheese and grapes, and laughing without a care in the world (well, he was. C.C. still felt...unsure about it all, and had to ease herself into relaxing), when someone that neither of them would want to see knocked, and without waiting for anybody to call "Come in", appeared at the door.

Prudence could've almost screamed at the sight in front of her.

What on Earth did that Babcock girl ( Lady Babcock did not deserve her title!) think she was doing?! Eating from His Royal Highness' own plate like she was some sort of pet or paramour or anything that might matter to the prince!

She was not his equal! She was a lady in waiting – somehow above the servants who kept themselves respectable, but nothing else! She had no right to sit there, laughing at every word the prince spoke, starting off so quietly, like she wanted to think herself so sweet and demure, but growing until she was laughing fully!

There she was showing her true self. The self that did not act like the lady she supposedly was, or know her place, or respect the fact that she was near her future king!

A future king, who'd have her, grow bored and toss her aside, do the same to countless others before marrying a foreign princess who could give him as many legitimate heirs as he wanted. Just as things were and always had been.

The girl was deluded if she thought she could use this little bit of nothing to climb her way back into the realms of nobility! She'd be the latest toy that the prince broke, then she'd leave the post she didn't deserve and be back down in the kitchens to live out the rest of her days.

It was what the little whore deserved, after everything still yet to come.

She couldn't wait for that day to arrive — she'd throw a party, if she could. That little bitch needed reminding that she was nothing. She was just a pretty face and the prince's latest obsession; once he'd had his way with her, he'd discard her, just like he always did.

Still, she couldn't show her utter disgust at seeing the prince's would-be whore. He never took kindly to people commenting or giving their opinion on who he chose to sleep with, so Prudence knew better than to show her true feelings on the matter.

Instead, she bowed to the Prince, having to force herself to not stick Lady Babcock with a poisonous glare.

"I bring clean linen, Your Royal Highness," Prudence said, gesturing at the neat stack of fabric she was carrying. "Shall I leave them here or...?"

"In my dressing room, please," said the Prince, reaching over with his good hand to grab another grape. "Thank you."

Prudence nodded and quickly set off to do as she'd been told. She briefly glimpsed at the little whore when she went past the bed, delighting in the look of utter discomfort that had taken hold of the girl's features.

Good. She deserved to know that she'd been seem. Soon everybody in the palace would know, and they'd all exchange their probably already-placed bets that she'd be the next the prince took and then tossed aside.

He didn't love her. He didn't have to love anybody but himself – it was the way men were, and would forever be. Wives were the respectable ones, fit for childbearing and to be seen in public, and all the other little whores on the side were nothing but occasions for men to help and serve themselves. Fun occasions, but trivial and worthless all the same.

It would teach this one a lesson when she realised that she was nothing but an occasion.

Then the next little occasion would turn up. Probably soon, actually – it was about time they had a new kitchen maid around the place, and Prudence knew that the prince chased maids like hounds chased after the deer or the fox.

That was, of course, with ravenous intent.

It was Prudence who was on the verge of laughing by the time she put the stack of linen down in its proper place. It was almost ironic, how the Babcock girl was and would end up the opposite to these sheets – not at all pure white, in the wrong place entirely (and about to be put back where she should be), and no chance of more than one night in the prince's bed.

Ah well, she supposed she could do nothing but wait! And the wait would be worthwhile, when she got to see the expression on Lady Babcock's face when she was cast aside for a better, newer model.

Such was the cycle of a Royal Mistress, and the little bitch was going to learn that the hard way.

With that happy thought in mind, Prudence swiftly stored the linen where she'd been told to and then left the room, smiling to herself and with a spring in her step.

Niles barely noticed when the older servant left, but to C.C. her unexpected visit had ruined what had been an otherwise delightful morning. Prudence would no doubt tell the other members of staff that she'd been in the Prince's bed, which would in turn send rumours about her and what she was doing with the Prince flying all over the palace.

She'd be the laughingstock of the entire staff, and they'd all believe she was the prince's next bit on the side, just as she'd feared. Many already thought she was, given that he'd been to her room and that she and Prince Niles had had tea together, but this would all but confirm what many suspected, even if it was not true at all!

What if any of the rumours reached the queen's ears?! What would her good mistress think of her?! The last thing she wanted, was to disappoint Queen Marie — she was one of the few people who'd been kind to her since she'd become a servant...

It would all go away, if the rumour persisted. How could it not? Queen Marie wouldn't want anything to do with the woman acting as a bedwarmer for her son – on the (rare) occasions such a subject had been brought up, she'd reacted with nothing but disgust!

She'd wanted her son to be better than that, and she felt that those women enabled him, either for their own gain or because they simply fell for it. And she didn't know which Marie would think of her. She didn't want to find out, either!

She'd have to go away, wouldn't she? After everything she'd done to try and get back on her feet – after everything she'd lost, and all the things she'd fought and begged and pleaded to get back, it was all going to go.

And all because of some vile words from an old crone's mouth, that would happen to spread through the palace like poison.

She was ruined without doing anything, and she couldn't even defend herself! No one would believe her; not after Prudence had gleefully confirmed what they'd obviously all wanted to hear!

What was she going to do, once she was fully ruined in the eyes of everyone that she knew and worked with? She had already accepted the fact that she'd end up alone, unmarried and unwanted, but she'd relied on the fact that she'd at least have a job!

She'd seen maids working their whole lives without so much as a single man looking their way. She'd been prepared for that. She wasn't special enough to warrant attention, either. But those women hadn't ever been accused of...misbehaving...with men, or ever made themselves the focus of vicious rumours! Not even idle gossip!

She'd have to leave. But what if the word spread faster than she could move? Plenty of "respectable" establishments in the city wouldn't take her in if they believed her to be nothing but a common harlot...

The word stung in her chest because she knew it wasn't true. But who was going to believe that?

Nobody. That was who. She had no friends in the world – nobody she could turn to, apart from her brother, and he'd already done her a favour by getting her this job so she'd managed to let him down, too!

Why did she have to be such an unlovable, clearly not even likeable, failure?

She wasn't in the mood to eat anymore. She'd much rather leave for her room, but at the same time she could not be disrespectful towards the prince by refusing to share his breakfast or leaving without being allowed to.

She'd have to stay there, waiting for Prince Niles to finish, and only then would she be able to go. She'd have to be back in a little while to help change the Prince's bandages, but the sooner she left, the sooner she'd be able to clear her head.

Maybe being the Prince's nurse hadn't been such a good idea...

"Lady Babcock?"

C.C. jumped at the sudden sound of the Prince's voice, having lost herself in her troubled thoughts. She had completely forgotten that they'd been deep in conversation before Prudence's arrival.

"Is anything the matter?"

What was she going to say? What could she say? _"I'm sorry, Your Royal Highness, but I cannot be your nurse anymore because an idle gossiper of an old crone maid named Prudence is going to tell the whole palace that I'm your bedwarmer, and I'm about to have my reputation ruined to the point where I'm now thinking of leaving my post"?_

Actually, if it was worded differently, that was probably the only thing she could say. She wasn't about to start lying to him, not after he'd...well, made something of an effort to not carry on his usual personality when they were spending time together.

And his eyes held so much concern, it all came out easily enough.

Not that she could look at him as she began, "I...I don't think I can be your nurse anymore, Your Royal Highness. In fact, I'm not sure I can even stay in the palace any longer..."

Niles had never had any more immediate moments of panic than the one he experienced after hearing her say that. It cured what was left of his hangover, and it nearly sent him leaping out of bed. Again, he had forgotten about his bandages, which immediately pinned him back down and left him lying there uselessly, on his back and trying his hardest to crane his neck to look at her.

It was still a struggle, though; he only managed it the tiniest amount.

"Why ever not?!" he cried, desperate to know what had happened so that he could find some way of fixing it.

He had to be able to fix it, didn't he? He was the prince, for crying out loud! If there was something out there he couldn't put right, then no one could!

But what came out of Lady Babcock's mouth would have knocked him down again, if he'd succeeded in standing up before.

"That maid just then – Prudence...she's going to tell everyone that I'm your mistress! She's convinced that you and I…did something wildly inappropriate! It'll be all over the palace in no time, and I know it will reflect back on me and I'll just wind up a laughingstock! The stupid lady-in-waiting, foolish enough to believe she could be different. When really she's...well, just another name in the long list of women that everyone can laugh at for allowing herself to be a whore!"

She was close to crying by the end of it, and Niles' heart shattered.

They'd make her a laughingstock, spread untrue and unwarranted rumours about her, and shun her to the point where she felt that she had to leave her job? All for simply associating with him?! Not even knowing (or perhaps even caring about) the real truth?!

No wonder she'd been so unsure about staying simply to eat some breakfast! After learning of his apparent reputation around the palace, and now knowing that people would spread vile rumours at the slightest hint of anything worth talking about, he'd be reluctant to spend time in his company, too!

He'd been such a fool...he hadn't ever really thought about what his behaviour could do to another, and now here was an example of an unintended consequence, telling him that she was thinking of leaving because the way other people saw him was going to make her life miserable.

It wasn't right, and it wasn't fair!

He wasn't going to allow Lady Babcock to be made fun of for simply keeping him company. No, he was going to make sure that the older maid (Prudence, was it? He seldom remembered the name of his servants) kept her mouth shut.

She would not be allowed to badmouth a young lady who had been nothing but a loyal worker and confidante.

A loyal worker who currently needed his reassurance.

"Lady Babcock, I can assure you that you will be thought of as nothing but the sort," he told her quietly. "I will not allow such vile rumours to persist – or even to be created, if I can help it!"

She was looking up at him with the kind of misery in her eyes that made him want to do nothing but fill them with hope.

And he knew what he wanted to say, to try and make it happen.

"I...want nothing more than to be your friend," the words, as unheard coming from him before when it came to a woman, were nonetheless truthful in every word. "And I will behave as no less than a perfect gentleman, if it means protecting you from these gossipers."

After looking at him with consideration for a moment or two, Lady Babcock wiped at her eyes and attempted a smile.

"Thank you, Your Royal Highness," she near-whispered. "I...I am glad that we can be friends..."

It warmed him from the inside, both knowing that she was happy they could have a friendship, and seeing that she'd at least started to cheer up again. If they were friends, he owed it to her to do everything he could to make her happy.

And, in his position as prince, he could also do everything in his power to make the rumours stop.

So, after smiling at her one last time, he turned his head towards the door.

" Prudence!"

It didn't take long for the maid to come back after he'd bellowed. Most of him cynically wondered if she'd simply been biding her time outside the door, listening for anything she could spread as gossip, before making herself known.

"You summoned me, Your Royal Highness?" she asked, coming out of her curtsy.

"I have, in fact," he said, sticking the maid with a cold, angry glare. As a general rule, he disliked gossipers, but he found them especially abhorrent when they were intent on spreading false rumours.

And Prudence was quite obviously one of _those_ people.

The thought that she was happily going to slander Lady Babcock's respectable name made him feel more than a little sick, not to mention angry. Actually, it was more like he was furious! Nobody had the right to badmouth a woman who'd done nothing wrong, lest of all when said naysayers were at the bottom of social strata.

Lady Babcock was a respectable woman who'd fallen on hard times. None of that, however, took away that she was noble by birth and this conceited, self-important maid wasn't.

She had to be put in her place. And he'd be happy to do _just_ that.

"It has been brought to my attention that you, Prudence, have been badmouthing Lady Babcock here," he gestured over at C.C., whose cheeks had turned a bright shade of red — she couldn't quite believe the prince was standing up for her. "Accusing her of being my mistress, when such thing is nothing but a bare-faced lie! She is, I assure you, as pure as any other maiden in this kingdom!"

That, he noticed from the corner of his eye, got something of a considerable blush from Lady Babcock's cheeks. But he wasn't going to stop and admire, or loudly question it, just at that moment.

Not when Prudence was suddenly looking a strange mixture of both enraged and like she would rather be anywhere else at that moment in time.

And, indeed, Prudence did feel like she would rather be anywhere else. Preferably listening outside the door, waiting for the proof that she was right, and not inside of it, receiving a bollocking for having told other people about it!

She was dreading what she could tell was coming next, too.

And Niles, had they been able to communicate through their minds, would have told her that she had every right to dread what was coming. He'd also expect her to be sorry and apologise sincerely, but that was beyond all capabilities that Prudence held.

She'd never be sorry for giving people the treatment they deserved.

"Don't you have anything to say in your defence?" the prince asked, appearing to get bristly over her lack of falling to her knees and begging forgiveness.

Prudence felt she had plenty to say in her defence, if she was honest. And she could start with this morning as proof – no self-respecting, good, pure, noble lady-in-waiting would ever dream of sitting on the prince's bed! Or eating his food directly from his plate!

If that didn't scream of an overfamiliarity, then what did?! It had to be proof, and he was covering it up, for some reason! Most likely because it was clearly upsetting the little whore to be talked about. But if she didn't want to be talked about, then she should've thought of that before she decided to do all of this!

Not that the maid could say that, however. The prince would obviously play favourites and then she'd be out on her ear in an instant!

To Niles, all this decision-making process seemed to be taking an age. And he didn't like that one bit – either she had something to say or she didn't! Not that it really mattered in his mind. He was sure he wouldn't take into account excuses for her behaviour – he just wanted to hear what she had to say.

"Well?" he asked impatiently. "Do you, or don't you?"

If she had, she'd better get talking, Niles thought, still glaring daggers at the maid, who was nervously shuffling her feet, almost as if she were itching to say something.

"Spit it out!" he demanded, slamming his good hand against the mattress, "I don't have all day to lose!"

That seemed to be all the "cajoling" Prudence needed. It felt almost as if someone had set a fire alight within her, and that small flickering flame grew steadily until it was consuming her very spirit.

She'd never hated someone as much as she hated this little, stuck-up whore! Who did she think she was, somehow managing to get the Prince on her side and acting as some sort of puppeteer, using her charm and beauty to work the Prince?! She had no right — no leg to stand on! She was mud and him acting as though she was some kind of respectable lady was revolting.

No, she had to say something — she _would_ say something.

"I am _not_ slandering Lady Babcock's name since I haven't spoken any lies, my Lord," she spat, glaring over at C.C..

The honesty – if it could be called that – hit Niles like a slap in the face. He immediately looked to Lady Babcock, and his shock turned swiftly to despair as he noticed how close to crying she looked...

The despair quickly mixed with the rage he already felt towards Prudence – first for lying, then for coming out with this as though she thought she had some sort of higher moral ground! Thinking these things about Lady Babcock, and spreading them as rumours to other people, sneaking around like a rat trying not to get caught, was not the upper moral ground!

He'd had it with her. And he was going to show it.

"Come here," he ordered, clicking his fingers and pointing at a spot on the floor in front of where he and Lady Babcock were sat.

Prudence did as she was told, and Niles stuck her with an icy glare as she came to a halt.

"I want you to repeat everything you just said, and explain to me very clearly why you think it's the truth, and not some malicious lie made up to hurt an innocent woman."

Prudence began without a care, clearly past the point of being afraid or wondering what this could all mean. She was too angry, and full of the pride that came with thinking oneself to be right.

"You have...your reputation, Your Royal Highness, and as the Prince of Wales and as a man, you are entitled to it. But spending all your time exclusively with..._Lady Babcock..._is proof of her less-than-moral behaviour! She is clearly seducing you into giving her the things that she wants and attempting to scramble her way back up into the ranks of nobility by way of it! That is not the behaviour of a lady, not that she should be allowed to retain her title, considering she had her estate rightfully taken from her! She is no better than a glorified kitchen maid, and if she hadn't wanted me to tell everybody what has been happening between yourself and her, my lord, then she should never have been alone with you in the first place! And as long as she continues to warm your bed, as has been obvious from the start, then I shall continue to tell people about it!"

She needed to pause to catch her breath, and she saw the prince raise an eyebrow before picking up his cup of wine in a rather thoughtful manner.

"Is that so?" he asked calmly.

Prudence glared over at the miserable-looking whore, "Very much so, Your Royal Highness. I will not desist from speaking the truth, no matter what it is or where it is to be found!"

And in that brief moment, she imagined that she had won. That the prince would admit to what he and the little bitch had been doing, and tell her that she could have something she wanted, in return for keeping quiet.

Not that Prudence wanted anything, apart from the little Babcock whore to be slung out into the streets with the other sluts, where she belonged!

In fact, she could probably add tha– _uggghh_!

Something deep red and wet blinded her vision for a brief moment, and when it went away, she was soaking! Soaking...and smelled like...

Wine. The prince had _tossed his wine at her_?! Directly into her face?!

Prudence came out of it gasping, but she couldn't pinpoint why – was it a real need for air, or was she astounded by the prince's decision?! How could he do such a thing?! Was it just because he knew that she was right?! She had to be, after this! There was no other explanation as to why he'd assault her in such a fashion!

Not that she wasn't still scraping for alternatives, in the back of her mind. She'd been a faithful servant of the royal family for so long, she could hardly imagine being turned on like this!

And all for the sake of some common whore, trying to pass herself off as a noble lady!

"My lord...! You..._why_...?!"

"Shut your mouth or I'll throw another cup at you," he warned her, speaking in a disturbingly calm voice and keeping his composure — this was the kind of serenity that didn't bode well for anyone.

Prudence knew this, too, and even if she would have liked to talk back, she begrudgingly obeyed and did what she'd been told. It made her feel helpless, and the hate she held for Lady Babcock grew tenfold.

That little whore was getting too big for her shoes, and Prudence couldn't understand why no one (apart from her) seemed to be putting her in her right place!

"Now," said the prince, gently laying down his glass on his nightstand. "Let me explain to you what will happen — firstly, you will apologise to Lady Babcock (who is your superior, might I add) for slandering her name when she has done nothing wrong. Her only crime is keeping me company when I asked her to. Secondly, you are forbidden to spread any ill-intentioned rumours about Lady Babcock and, lastly, you shall never bother her again. Should you do so, you'll find yourself on the streets faster than you can say 'sorry'. Is that clear?"

Prudence started burning inside even at the very thought of having to apologise. Why should she have to, when it was "Lady" Babcock who was in the wrong?!

Prudence had always been taught that sluts were punished for their sins, and that went double for those who used their wiles to deceive and worm their way into getting what they wanted!

And that was exactly what this little bitch was doing. She had the prince wrapped around her little finger, and who knew how many more men she'd done this to, before coming here?! She could've been whoring herself out all over London before deciding on a position at the palace! She said she'd come there straight from the grand house she hadn't deserved, but could they really believe the word of a whore?! She'd probably been warming the beds of men all over the city!

Lady Babcock, more like Lady _Suckco_––

"Are you even listening to me, you stupid wench?!" Prince Niles' barking interrupted her thoughts and sent her straight back to the present moment. "I told you to apologise to Lady Babcock, and that is just the first of the things you have to do!"

Prudence knew it was, and she hated knowing. But that didn't stop her from having to open her mouth and do it.

Even if it did take a long time to actually come out, and sounded like hissing and snarling when it did.

"I...I'm...s-sor...s-sorry, Lady Babcock..."

It didn't seem fully adequate in Niles' mind, but he turned to Lady Babcock anyway. The poor woman looked as though she'd never been apologised to in her life – there was shock all over her face and a hint of worry buried therein.

But, much to her credit, she managed to nod at the maid, "I...accept your apology."

Well, if Lady Babcock was satisfied, then Niles had no choice but to be satisfied as well. It wasn't the real and full apology that he had been hoping for and expecting, but he also didn't want to have to drag one out of Prudence and force Lady Babcock to be in her presence any longer.

So, he nodded as well, and waved Prudence away, "Well, you've done your first task. Now go and complete your second and third!"

Prudence took in a breath that she held, curtsied awkwardly where the wine on her face was soaking into her dress, and left, dripping red all the way behind her. She closed the door on her way out, and Niles huffed in contempt. Served her right, really – she deserved far worse for the kinds of things she'd said about Lady Babcock!

Lady Babcock, who was...looking at him with the...well, the softest smile he'd ever seen...

"Thank you," she said.

Niles couldn't reply for a moment because he'd forgotten how to form words, but as soon as he regained the power of speech, he let a smile come forward onto his face.

"It's...really no trouble," he replied. Suddenly feeling rather warm and with a need to clear his throat, he looked back down at the breakfast they were still in the middle of sharing. "Come, let us continue with this magnificent feast we have been provided. Before we were so rudely interrupted..."

Lady Babcock seemed more than happy to do that – she even refilled his wine glass for him so that they could clink the cups together!

Everything was peaceful, once again, and as breakfast continued in quiet chatter and good food, it was almost as if there hadn't been any unpleasantness in the first place.

When it was just the two of them, it could never be anything less than pleasant.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter 9**_

Joseph was, by general rule, not a sentimental man. He cared little for anyone but himself and was unapologetic about it. Why should he be apologetic, in any case? He was the bloody king, and no one was above him.

Well…no one but his son.

Niles was the only person Joseph would die for. There was something about being a father that had made Joseph a little less selfish – a little less cold. He loved his children (those who were still with him and those that were in God's grace), and he wanted nothing but the best for them.

He was ashamed to admit that he had doubted Niles would even make it, back when he'd first been born. Considering that he'd been a terrifyingly small baby and that they'd already lost two children by the time he'd been born, Joseph had believed he'd pass long before seeing his very first birthday. However, his boy had surprised him so, quickly gaining both weight and strength. Niles had also been eager to give his first steps, and by the age of three he already was learning how to mount.

Joseph had many faults, but being an absent parent wasn't one of them. He'd always been there for his son, making sure that he got the best education, the best medical attention and possessions out there. He'd supported Niles on every step of the way, and he'd grown to be his spitting image – something that, of course, made him incredibly proud.

Still, he'd never mollycoddled the boy. It wouldn't have been good for him. Joseph had actually encouraged his boy to go out to explore the world around him, and he'd made sure to instil a sense of pride in him, as well as making sure that he knew that, just like Joseph himself, he was above others. He'd drilled into him that battle wounds and women were reasons to be proud, and as such he'd seen a number of them over the years.

The latest additions to both lists, however, were worrying him greatly. The fall from Athena had hurt his son badly, and he'd been told by Potts that he'd have to keep well over a month of bedrest. And then there was Lady Babcock, his nursemaid for all of that time.

It had...well, fascinated and amused Joseph for a while, knowing that this utterly gorgeous thing, just ripe for the picking, was going to have her hands all over his son every day. He'd hoped his son would have her soon (and that he'd be up for sharing, as they often did) and then when she was all used up, he'd move onto the next kitchen maid or chambermaid or whomever it was that happened to catch his eye at the time.

But then he'd heard more, from whispers amongst the servants. And more than whispers, from those willing to talk.

It seemed his son spent a lot of time with Lady Babcock, and none of it was spent engaging in the only activity Joseph considered women worthwhile for. They read, they played games, they ate food and talked, and that was...well, it!

That bothered Joseph more than words could say. This was not the behaviour of a future king, spending time with a servant he could and should have been bedding, instead of getting to know (who bothered getting to know a woman, anyway?). She wasn't a noble anymore, or suitable marriage material in any sense of the word, so why was he even bothering?

Niles might as well have just given the girl over to him. He'd show him what a real man would've done with a prime piece of meat like that by now!

He could probably mention that in a few moments, come to think of it. He was arriving at his son's bedroom door, intent on spending some father-son time with him while he recovered.

He had to be bored out of his mind. How could he not be, with only a woman to talk to all day, otherwise?

He knocked when he got to the door, but didn't wait for anybody to call "Come in" before going in. He was the king, why should he bother?

He could just march in and––

"Methinks, Mistress, you should have little reason for that: and yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together nowadays-"

..._What_?!

Joseph could hardly believe the sight before his eyes – his son and Lady Babcock, lying on the same bed (but she wasn't naked, or even dressed as though she intended to be?!) reading from the _same book_ and eating food from the s_ame plate_?!

What did that girl think she was doing, being there like that?! If she wasn't there to amuse his son by at least taking off her dress, then she had no point! Putting his head in the clouds with some nonsense book instead of in her cleavage was a waste of his time and proved that Lady Babcock was not serving her purpose as a woman around there!

And as for eating from the same plate, it went to show that his boy knew nothing yet about what it was to be king! The king did not share what had been given to him with anyone, whether or not he hoped to get something from that person! The king took all he could, and let others fight for their own. It was the way things were supposed to be.

And this was absolutely _not_ the way things were supposed to be!

"What in God's name is going on in here?!" he demanded over the top of their little recital, or whatever it was they wanted to call it.

The part of him that liked being in control found it funny that Lady Babcock jumped out of her skin upon hearing his voice. Gasping and nearly leaping up, she immediately closed the book they'd been reading from, almost shutting Niles' fingers inside, as the boy finally looked up (from her, in confusion at her behaviour) to the doorway.

"Oh, hello, Father," the prince said.

He sounded...oddly bright, and not at all worried about the fact that his father had just caught him in an unacceptable act with a woman! And that only really served to infuriate Joseph further.

He knew it was the girl's fault. If she'd just given him what every man wanted, then Niles could've tossed her aside and been onto his next one by now! Possibly even a third! This one was holding him back as a man, and the fact that Niles had been amassing a mountain of used up women before, but now it had slowed to practically nothing, was deeply troubling to Joseph!

How would the world see that his son was a man, if he didn't take what he wanted every time he saw it? Only weaklings didn't take what they wanted!

His son was no weakling. The only person who got laughed at when each conquest was done was the conquered. And why not? Playthings were there to be amusing, after all.

He looked over at the girl (who was now stood a few feet away from his son's bed) and glared at her. She was a pretty thing, yes, but she had to know her place around the palace. The only reason why she'd ever be allowed to share his son's bed, was if she was to be fucked. Nothing more.

"Leave us," he ordered, ushering her outside, "Your presence isn't wanted here."

The girl didn't need to be told twice – she curtsied to both the King and the Prince and she quickly rushed out, not once looking back and taking with her Niles' treasured copy of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". She didn't do it on purpose, of course, but rather it was a consequence of the mortification caused by having been found in that position with the prince.

Said prince was rather annoyed, as it was, and not precisely because Lady Babcock had taken his book. Actually, he'd be happy to gift it to her! No, what bothered him was the way his father had talked to her. He might not have wanted her there, but Niles very much wanted her to keep him company!

He stared all the way as his father came over, apparently unconcerned about anything that he'd just said. How could he not be?! He'd just told another person that she wasn't wanted, and it wasn't true at all!

He didn't know how he was going to make it up to her. It would have to be something straight away, as soon as he next saw her. Maybe he could gift her a book to make up for it, that they could then read together, undisturbed?

He hoped she knew that it wasn't him who'd wanted her gone, it was simply his father and his...ways...

He didn't want to waste any more time in getting down to scolding his father about his behaviour, either.

"That was extremely rude of you, Father!" he told him. "I didn't want Lady Babcock to leave! I would have preferred that she'd stayed!"

Joseph quirked an eyebrow at his boy, "Why? It's not as though she'll have anything of value to contribute to our conversation."

Niles' jaw set. Lady Babcock was one of the most articulate people he'd ever met! She'd had education and breeding, and had been brought up to use both! There was no way she could be anything less than an intelligent and insightful contributor to a conversation!

This was going beyond his father's usual behaviour. What on Earth was the matter with him that day?!

Resolved to ask, he closed his mouth back up, clenching his jaw in some frustration, "Is there something wrong, Father? You seem...disturbed by something."

He nearly considered adding "and it's affecting your manners", but he didn't push it that far. As boorish as his father was being, he was still the king, and could dole out verbal lashes as well as physical ones without repercussions.

Joseph approached his bedside with the air of a man who knew that very well. There was something wrong, in his eyes. His boy spending all this time with a servant woman, and none of it doing the only real thing he should care about servant women for, was a source of extreme worry and anger and bafflement for him!

Sometimes it was all of those things at once, and that made the king's head spin. He just didn't understand why or how it had gone on this long – apart from his deal with Marie, as frustrating and tiresome as _that_ was, he'd expected this whole thing to go the way of all the other times their boy had chased serving girls by now!

He didn't like that it had gone on much longer than those times.

Not one bit.

Still, he couldn't say a thing about it – not if he wanted Marie to keep going to bed with him. If he'd been younger he wouldn't have been forced to keep this ridiculous deal, but since he couldn't be bothered to go looking for whores every day, he had to make do with his wife.

He had to admit, though, Marie kept herself in excellent shape. Even if she was no spring chicken, she hadn't lost her appeal. That didn't mean he'd stopped sleeping around, not in the least. He just...well...did it less often than he used to. Having his wife was easier, and he still enjoyed fucking her silly.

Naturally, he was milking this for all it was worth, and his wife was just as trapped as he was. She had to have him when he wanted and she had to engage, something which he knew infuriated her.

He'd have her that night. He'd make her pay for his silence.

"No, son, everything is alright," Joseph eventually said, waving a dismissive hand as he perched on the side of Niles' bed. "How are you feeling?"

In truth, Niles felt uneasy about what had just happened. He especially didn't like the fact that his father had just dropped the subject, when Niles knew from experience that he could and would keep on going, if it meant getting things to be the way he wanted them.

He didn't usually give in over things, or change his mind, either...

But the prince had no way of telling what had made his father decide to do it. All he could do was hope it was nothing too bad, and perhaps keep his mind off things related to Lady Babcock.

If it really was nothing too bad, his father might even forget. It would be a blessing if he did...

He shifted as much as he could to get more comfortable before he replied to his father's question, "Not as bad as I have been. At least a few things must be healing up..."

He hoped they were, anyway! As comfortable as his bed was, he was starting to yearn to be outside again – to be able to walk around the gardens, and take in some fresh air after so long!

He wanted to find some secluded place with Lady Babcock, where they could read and talk without being disturbed...

But for any of that to happen, he had yet to wait another four weeks or so. Potts had told him that he'd have to stay in bed for around six weeks, and so far he was absolutely dreading being cooped up inside. The only thing that made his confinement somewhat bearable was Lady Babcock.

For the last two weeks, she'd spent her every waking moment by his side, both tending to his wounds (he supposed that was part of her job as his nursemaid) and helping him pass time. She'd come up with countless ideas to keep him entertained, from playing chess to reading books together. They both loved Shakespeare plays, and so far they'd read _Richard III, Romeo and Juliet _(he remembered laughing at her overdoing Juliet's death), _Much Ado About Nothing,_ and _Hamlet_. He'd been the one to suggest reading _A Midsummer Night's Dream _next, and she'd been more than happy to oblige.

He didn't know what he'd do without her. He simply could not imagine not having her around while he recovered; he'd come to depend on her and on her sharp wit to keep him cheerful throughout his recovery.

And now his father had ruined everything by making her feel unwanted when that was the last thing she was!

"Lady Babcock has been a wonderful company," shot the prince, a hidden reproach laced in his words, "She's an excellent nursemaid and has kept me entertained these past two weeks."

Joseph huffed out a laugh through his nose. Niles couldn't tell if it was filled with amusement or contempt.

He didn't particularly like it, either way.

"Reading books? Not exactly the usual form of entertainment you go for with a piece like that," the king said, indicating with his head towards the door. Then he looked down at his son with a smirk. "I certainly would be, if she was putting her hands over me, night and day! Unless, of course, you're just waiting to recover from an injury you only told the _doctor_ about...?"

Niles could only blink back up at his father, a churning feeling starting to swirl in his insides, "No...I told you and Mama everything; I broke my arm and my ribs..."

"Are you sure about that?" Joseph gave him a slight playful nudge. "Nowhere else strained or pulled that day? I understand if you're embarrassed, but I'm your _father_, boy! You can tell me if that's the truth! Saying you'd rather rest than fail to hit the target with a broken arrow is less emasculating than simply saying "you'd rather just spend time" with the girl! At least it's believable!"

The swirling feeling in Niles' stomach surged into what felt like a small wave from the tide, and he had to do everything in his power to not try and get up to shout at his father.

How dare he presume that he didn't just want to spend time with Lady Babcock?! Granted, he might have been in it simply for what he thought he could get at first, but he'd...changed. He'd gotten to know Lady Babcock, and he liked her – simply to spend time with!

She was bright, and witty, and gave the most interesting conversation Niles could ever remember hearing! Who would not want to spend time with her, simply for that by itself? His father did not understand. He wasn't ever around women to be a gentleman to them.

And the fact that he was laughing and joking so hard about potential... injuries (that Niles knew for certain he did _not_ have!) only led the prince to feel uncomfortable.

Uncomfortable and more than a little bit ashamed. Couldn't his father see from the doorway that he'd been having a good time with Lady Babcock, up until the point that he'd stepped in?!

Why did he have to come in and spoil it?!

"Father, I can assure you that I have _not_ suffered injury or damage to my…masculinity," he said, blushing a little. He was used to talking about sex with his father and even sharing women with him, but they'd never really discussed his bits and pieces. "I genuinely like the Lady Babcock. She is a learned woman, and her conversation is enthralling! Not to mention her fair beauty – she truly is a sight to behold!"

Niles couldn't help the dreamy smile from appearing on his lips. The thought of Lady Babcock's fair looks always sent his head reeling. He imagined that was how Lysander felt every time he saw Hermia, or how Demetrius felt when he saw Helena. He was charmed by her – utterly and completely charmed.

Maybe he'd also been bewitched by Oberon, Niles thought to himself, his smile growing. He wouldn't mind if he had.

But his praise for the young lady-in-waiting did not please his father. Joseph could only look at his son in utter disbelief, almost as if he could not make sense of the words he was speaking.

And when Joseph did speak at last, his own words reflected the countenance he wore exactly.

"Never mind about your manhood, boy, are you absolutely sure you didn't hit your _head_ when you fell from that horse?!" he exclaimed. "You're speaking about the girl as though she has some sort of value, and I've told you your whole life that they have _usefulness_, which is not the same thing!"

He honestly couldn't believe that all the lessons he'd ever taught the boy were clearly just not sticking! Treating a woman as though she had more to offer than the parts of her body a man liked the best? Looking as though he was thinking of her as more than just a convenient little toy, within arm's reach but also perfect for dropping again when he was done?

Next thing he knew, the boy would actually respect the wench! And then where would they be?! Respecting common whores and serving girls, so that they could see themselves as better than they were in the eyes of the ones who truly mattered?!

He really didn't understand it at all. Joseph could only think that his mother had been speaking to him. She'd never understood that a man had needs - it would be her doing. And just when she'd prevented him from meddling!

He'd definitely make her pay for this. And then he'd make the effort to go out and find a whore to have fun with as well, just to show her the place she held in society, and to teach her the lesson that there was nothing she could do about it.

Men were made for respect. Wives were for putting on display in public and fucking in private (sometimes with the goal of creating sons). Wenches were simply made to be on their knees.

"She is valuable to me, father," his son argued, frowning deeply, "She is of noble birth and I will not… use her, if that is what you are suggesting. She was very clear about wanting to remain pure until her wedding night, whenever that happens."

The mere thought of Lady Babcock being touched by other man always made Niles feel…uneasy. It was a strange, burning feeling and it made him want to punch the mystery man who would one day make Lady Babcock his wife. He knew he had no right or claim over her, but he simply would like it if no man ever sullied her.

The moment she was taken by a man would be the moment she'd be swept away to live her life as a wife and (most probably) as a mother. She would not be able to be around him anymore…

Honestly, the thought of a Babcock-less existence was not something Niles liked to think about.

He had to get it out of his head, before he was overwhelmed and his mind overpowered by thoughts of Lady Babcock smiling adoringly at some tall, strong, faceless man (but probably oh-so handsome, yet still humble and not at all vain or arrogant, which would only make him even more unbearable in Niles' eyes). He hated the idea of her riding off on the back of his horse, being carried bridal-style into some luxurious chamber, being set down on a bed for two and––

Dear God, would his mind ever shut up?!

No more so than his father, apparently, who let out another contempt-filled chuckle.

"Who's going to want to attach themselves to a disgraced lady like that?! She's nothing more than a serving wench now, and serving wenches, as we both know, are not for marrying! They do their duty and they warm our beds when we want, nothing more."

He then sat back, apparently amused by something, before speaking again.

"If that Babcock girl really does only want to give herself to the man she marries, she's going to die a virgin! Given everything, I'm uncertain as to whether I should find that admirable or pathetic!"

He then started to laugh, unable to help himself. How could he not? The woman thought herself important enough as well as desirable enough for one man to want her his entire life?! She was lucky she had a job in the palace, let alone anything else!

She might as well just give it away to anybody (preferably him - Joseph liked his meat fresh). Then at least she'd know what it was like to be a woman, and not remain a girl for the rest of her days.

It might come with the title of "whore" but it was less pitiable in his eyes than holding out hope for something that would never happen.

"You are wrong, Father," Niles said, forcing himself to keep his voice level and not disrespect his father. "The Lady Babcock isn't pathetic. She is wonderful. Any man would be lucky to have her, and I am determined to help her find a safe match, if she so chooses. I…I like her enough to want to see her happy."

That nearly did it for Joseph. He was almost certain that his heart would give out from the shock of hearing his son speak like that! Speaking about a serving girl as though she commanded respect, complimenting her because he meant it, and offering to protect her, in a way, until she found a match for a husband?!

Who had taken away his son, and replaced him with this...this...shadow?! A shadow who was on his way to never understanding the masculine man's dominance over everybody else!

And kings had to be the most masculine of all. Even if their hands were tied by deals made with their wives sometimes...

Oh, if he wasn't bound by that agreement, he'd see to it that Babcock girl never got near the boy again! She was filling his head with all sorts of ideas – none of which were the way things should be!

His son needed to learn what a woman worthy of more than a good time bent over the nearest solid object was. He wasn't going to find one, if he kept up this nonsensical tirade with the serving girl!

Perhaps he needed to be introduced to some European princesses...

Wait a moment...that was the perfect idea! If he found Niles a wife, it would teach his boy what a woman of an upper standard looked like and destroy his connection to Lady Babcock in one fell swoop! And it wouldn't at all look like meddling, which would stick it to Marie! Niles could try to see the girl happy all he wanted, for all Joseph cared. It would make no difference in the end.

He still couldn't think of looking at his boy just yet, though. The wound was still raw, from hearing his only son speak like...that. Going out to get someone to bring them both lunch would work as a distraction. He might have calmed down more by the time he'd returned.

Getting up from his seat, he looked more towards the door than Niles, "I'm going to fetch a servant to bring us lunch. I will return once I have."

The disgust in Niles' voice was palpable, "If you must."

Joseph ignored the remark as he left; he knew he was right and there was a rapidly closing window in which Niles could do anything about it. Not that he knew that. He'd be married before then, and if he wanted to see Lady Babcock at all at that point, he'd have to see her purely for what she was – a wench, nothing more.

And at last, Niles might learn that the girl's natural place was down on her knees.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter 10**_

"Almost there now, Your Royal Highness...you've got this..."

Niles would've told Lady Babcock how comforting and encouraging her words were, but he was too busy concentrating – just trying to put one foot in front of the other.

It was a matter of...well, an odd amount of delicacy. Having been declared well on the road to recovery by Dr Potts, Niles had wanted to celebrate and take some time out in the fresh air. So, after plucking up the courage (and nearly but not quite drawing back from the conversation entirely), he'd invited Lady Babcock out into the countryside to have a picnic with him.

They weren't even in the carriage yet, but he was already having the time of his life. How could he not be? The sun was shining, the breeze was warm, and Lady Babcock's voice was like music. And she'd agreed to be there of her own free will, with no coercion or guilt because she was his nursemaid!

No worrying about his father walking in on them, either. He'd been more than secretly relieved that she'd forgiven everything when he'd apologised for Joseph's behaviour...

Apologised, agreed to this day out, and accepted his gift of that copy of _A Midsummer Night's Dream_.

She deserved the book more than he did. And a nice day out in the country. So he'd thought why not let her have both? It gave her a chance to put on what she said was one of her nicer, non-everyday dresses, and...well, she really did look stunning in it.

And she was right next to him, holding his hand. Being a support for him to lean on as he walked, but still...!

"Just a few more feet and we'll have arrived at the carriage, my lord," she said, smiling up at him and patting his back, "But we can rest for a moment, if you need to."

Niles shook his head – the sooner they were on the carriage, the better. He did not want to lose any precious time with her. Not when he'd been looking forward to this little trip for a long while now. He'd ordered the cooks to prepare his and Lady Babcock's favourite foods, and he'd had them place everything in three enormous picnic baskets (which had, of course, been stored in the carriage by one of his stewards).

He wanted everything to be perfect for his and Lady Babcock's day out.

He'd naturally told his mother about his plans, and the queen had been more than happy to oversee the preparations in his place. She'd regularly updated him on how everything was going, and he suspected she'd had a hand on Lady Babcock's look for the day. She was, after all, wearing a new set of jewels – while her salary as First Lady of the Bedchamber was a lot higher than the one she'd had when she was a simple maid, it still wasn't enough for her to have afforded such luxurious pieces without help. Her shoes and her coat were also new, and they were very much his mother's style.

All in all, the day had the potential to be a wonderful one, but for any of that to happen, he needed to get to the carriage.

"I am perfectly fine, milady," he replied, trying to puff out his chest but failing miserably – his ribs simply did not agree with his attempts at being gallant. "I can bear to give a few more steps."

In her own mind, C.C. was on the verge of asking him to not be a hero about the whole thing. He'd done so well and he'd managed all the way that they'd come, but he could stop and rest if he wanted to.

The carriage wasn't going anywhere without them, but he seemed so eager to get on it!

It was...partially endearing, really, seeing him excited to be up and about for the first time in so long. She liked to think he was eager to get going on their day together, too, but of course she neither asked that or made any kind of reference to it. She was still just a servant, really, albeit one with a more lofty title than most. She had no place asking. But that didn't mean that she couldn't enjoy it.

And that all started by helping the prince achieve his goal of getting into that carriage.

"As you wish," she said cheerfully, walking him as slowly and carefully as they had been (even though Niles had been trying to increase his speed as they went along). "At this rate, we'll be in the carriage in no time!"

Niles smiled a little, taking another few slightly laboured steps.

_Soon. They'd be in the carriage and on their way to a wonderful day out very soon..._

He couldn't wait. This would be the first time he and Lady Babcock had spent alone time together outside! He hoped the weather would be good, but perhaps not completely clear – he was sort of hoping that they might be able to watch the clouds, and see if they could spot shapes in them...

But it was still going to present a challenge, getting into the carriage. He couldn't climb up and into it by himself because he still couldn't fully support the weight and pull himself up, but he didn't exactly want to make Lady Babcock do more than was necessary.

What kind of a gentleman would he be, making a lady carry him?

Not that she seemed hesitant. Before he even got a chance to complain, they'd arrived at the carriage and Lady Babcock was preparing to help lift him into the thing!

"Are you ready, Your Royal Highness?" she asked. "I can give you a push up on the count of three...?"

Niles didn't know how to answer. He didn't want her to have to push him all the way into the carriage, but at the same time he knew there was no way he'd be able to get up there by himself!

He could only curse his bones for not healing fast enough. If he'd been well enough, he would've rushed to the carriage with Lady Babcock in tow and they'd be on their way to a beautiful, quiet picnic already!

Instead, he was stood there at the steps of the carriage, wondering exactly how much less of a gentleman it would make him to let Lady Babcock push him up, or if he could gather some form of miracle strength at the very last minute and pull himself up.

Part of him wondered how impressive that would look to Lady Babcock, too...

But C.C. wasn't aware of his thought process. She only saw him apparently hesitating at the thought of answering her question, and a growing sense of worry was building up in her insides.

What was wrong? Was he in pain? He hadn't been when they'd left, but they'd come quite a long way. What if he wasn't in pain? What if he was having second thoughts about going on the picnic? Not that that would make sense – he'd seemed so eager just a few minutes ago!

The number of thoughts and questions was starting to make her head spin, to the point where she couldn't take it anymore.

She had to ask.

"If...if you are healed enough and still want to go, I mean," she half-mumbled, her gaze suddenly anywhere but on the prince. "You're not obliged to want to go on any picnic..."

Realising what she must've been thinking at long last, Niles jolted, nearly leaping at her in his panic, and only being kept from doing that by his complaining ribs.

"N-No!" he cried out, then he realised how that might've sounded, cringed and knew that he had to continue and explain. "I mean, yes! I-I mean, I still very much want to go on the picnic, I just...I don't feel comfortable having to make you push me into the carriage...!"

C.C. really didn't know what to say to that. All she could do was let a surprised laugh escape her throat. He really did want to go on the picnic with her...that hadn't changed...

And he was being the most considerate she'd ever seen him, to boot! Usually a person in his position would just relax and tell the servant to get on with it, not even stopping to consider if it might be too much for them, or if it was the correct thing to do!

But not the prince. He really was changing...

Not that it made much of a difference, in this case.

"Well, I...I really am grateful for that, Your Royal Highness," she said with a smile. And an odd heat growing on her cheeks. "But seeing as we have no one else to get you up into the carriage, I'm afraid I'll have to refuse your gentlemanly refusal."

"Lady Babcock, I must insist––"

"No, you mustn't," she interrupted him, speaking in the kind of no-nonsense voice that her own mother would use when she or her sister D.D. wouldn't do what they were being told. "You are still recuperating, sir. I am more than capable of helping you up – you see, I am not some defenceless, delicate flower."

Niles didn't really know what to say to that. Again, most women he knew disliked having to make any physical effort, and he was usually more than happy to oblige. But he was incapacitated, as it was, and he had no option but to take Lady Babcock on her offer (which was not so much an offer but rather a command). He'd have to swallow his pride and let her help him, if he wanted to have any sort of day out with her.

It would be a first for him, but he found that, surprisingly enough, he didn't mind so much.

He'd been trying plenty of new things since he'd met Lady Babcock, as it was.

"Alright then," he conceded, releasing a defeated sigh, "I shall let Her Ladyship help me."

She certainly seemed satisfied with that reply. She nodded in a satisfied manner to herself, at any rate.

"Good," the smile was present on her face and in her tone. She then put her hands together, clearly ready and prepared to go to work. "Now, Your Royal Highness, if you put your hands on either side of the rails up into the carriage, I can push you up and in from behind!"

Had his father been there, Niles was sure the king would've made at least a couple of jokes about a woman taking him from behind, but Niles dismissed the thought. Lady Babcock was helping him, and he wasn't going to sully the moment with cheap, unfunny humour.

There was a time and a place for remarks like that. This wasn't one of them.

And he was more than eager to get going without any more delays.

So, he did as he was told once more and gripped at the railings, preparing to step up and in once she gave him that little extra push he needed. Her hands, when they arrived on his back, felt so gentle it was hard to believe she was going to have to use such strength...

"On three," she said. "One...two...three!"

And with that, Niles pulled upwards as C.C. pushed, putting a strain on his ribs but not half as much of one as doing it by himself would have. He still let out a loud grunt of effort, though, and it was a relief to collapse onto the nearest seat once he'd gotten inside.

They'd done it. Between them, they'd managed to get him inside the bloody thing!

Of course, he was then dashed of his pride and turned crestfallen, when he saw that Lady Babcock was pulling herself up into the carriage! This was what he'd been fearing in the first place! What kind of a gentleman was he, if he couldn't even help a woman climb into a carriage?

Even more, how much worse was that made by her having had to push him up there to begin with!

Again, not that Lady Babcock appeared to notice his inner turmoil. She actually looked rather pleased with herself, and she smiled brightly as she closed the door and seated herself opposite him, next to the baskets containing their food.

How could she be so happy, when he hadn't been the perfect gentleman? He had let himself get into the carriage without even thinking of how she would do it herself! And yet she was smiling away, without a care in the world...

He couldn't show her that he'd done such a rude thing. He was trying to be better, but little things like this just slipped his mind!

It could ruin the whole day, if he let her know what he'd done, and he didn't want to spoil it any more than he already had by getting her to half-carry him there...

"Are you ready to go?" he asked instead, attempting a smile of his own in return.

"Well, I am not getting any younger, sir, and there is no point in wasting gorgeous sunlight as it is!" she said gesturing over at the carriage's window.

"I will take that as a yes, then," replied the prince, beginning to smile. She had a point about them not wasting a perfectly good day.

He knocked on the wooden panel behind him twice, and just like that, they were moving steadily out of the palace.

Unbeknownst to either of them, King Joseph had been observing them (was still observing them, really) from his office's window. He was frowning deeply, too. This situation really was getting out of hand – you didn't take a whore out for the day, or parade her around on your arm! She was only good for one thing, and Niles still wasn't showing any signs of using her that way!

The sooner he found the boy a wife, the better. Then he'd learn how to properly sort women into the ones you could take outside, and the ones that were simply for taking.

Maybe...maybe his next birthday would do it...yes...it would be the perfect gift and lesson all rolled into one! He'd receive a woman he could have children with and parade all over the place as much as he wanted (whilst doing whatever else he wanted to that Babcock girl in private) and he'd finally understand how true men kept their women in order!

He turned on his heel and looked at Marie, planning on telling her the decision he'd just made. She was still busy trying not to make herself look too affected by the orgasm he'd just forced her to have, reclining with her head back on the chaise longue, where he'd taken her. He openly smirked to see it; this agreement of theirs truly _did_ benefit him in a lot of ways...

It was going to benefit him in a few more, too, once he'd told her his plan.

But that would have to wait until after he'd had a few more rounds of fun. And had his fun he did, in as many places around the room as he decided, not giving Marie a chance to have a say in any of them. He tried to make it as loud as possible as well, so that the guards and the servants passing in the corridor outside could hear each and every single sound. They'd know that their king was a true man, with the strength and prowess of a god.

He had her back on the chaise longue and was giving his final thrust into her when the moment to tell her eventually came.

"I'm finding the boy a wife," he declared aloud moments after he'd released himself in her, full of pride and feeling as tall as any man would when he'd just ridden a conquered woman until she'd unwittingly screamed his name. "For his next birthday. That will be the gift."

The look of shock (followed by utter hatred) on her face was incredibly funny to him, but before Marie could react to his announcement, disappointingly, there was a knock on the door.

Before calling out for whomever was waiting to come in, Joseph grabbed a blanket from the edge of the chaise longue and tossed it over himself and Marie.

"Cover yourself, woman," he told her sharply. "The only one who gets to see that much flesh is me."

He then called out towards the door, ordering the waiting person to come inside.

It ended up being the older maid – Prudence, if he remembered correctly, carrying tea. He only knew her name because she'd been working there so long; most maids he only learned their names long enough to make them scream out his, then he was onto the next one and promptly forgot the little slut he'd had before.

He smirked again, "Ah, you came just in time to help your queen. She _loves_ having something hot and deeply satisfying inside her, and now she wants tea to follow it up."

Marie immediately shoved him off her, clearly trying to make it hurt as much as she could. Not that it worked – Joseph immediately scooted over beneath the covers, getting as close to her as he possibly could, and put his arms around her, holding tight even as she struggled against him. He knew she didn't want to be held, but he didn't care. This was about him and his triumph, so they got to do what he wanted.

Ignoring...everything going on, Prudence curtsied to him as best she could whilst holding the tray, trying not to frown at the state of Queen Marie. Marie didn't look satisfied about the state of anything. She only looked angry.

"I do not want any tea," she was on the verge of spitting, pushing Joseph's hands away yet again as they went for her breasts. "I want to know why you 'ave come to zhe conclusion zhat our son should be married by 'is next birzhday!"

It was obviously a ploy of some kind – a loophole that Joseph had found, and he was thinking to go straight through it! And, as arrogant and smug as he was, he wasn't even doing it like a sneak!

She was so focused on burning with hatred that she hadn't even considered the fact that Prudence might be listening. The older maid's ears had pricked up, and she was listening in interest.

A _lot_ of interest.

So, Prince Niles was going to be married, eh? Well, that was going to put out a few lights where none were deserved!

Specifically when it came to––

"You know damn well why, woman," Joseph shot back, pulling the blanket around them. "He cannot keep carrying on like he is with the Babcock girl!"

"You agreed zhat you would not interfere!" Marie screamed back at him, the oceans of her eyes burning with rage.

"I am not interfering with the both of them! I am keeping my son's dignity intact!" Joseph shouted back. "He has to get himself a respectable woman to hang off his arm, and keep to his whores in private!"

Prudence nearly spluttered with laughter then, her insides becoming elated with the amusement. As always, the king had the right of it...!

But Marie wasn't about to back down, and the fire looked like it was about to burst forth, after what Joseph had said.

"Zhat girl eez no 'ore...!" she glowered, her voice getting more dangerous with every word. "She eez pure and good, unlike zhe creatures you surround yourself wizh be'ind my back! She eez a virgin, you fool!"

Prudence nearly dropped the tray, which she had been "busying" herself by arranging on one of the side tables. The girl..._wasn't_ a whore? But how could she not be?! She spent all that time with a man who wouldn't even look at a woman unless she opened her legs for him!

It didn't make any sense!

It didn't make any sense...and yet, Queen Marie would have to reason to lie...she kept such a close watch on her son – Prudence knew that much!

Her Majesty was the pinnacle of nobility in blood and spirit, kind and honest beyond all measure, and the most respectable of ladies across the continents! There was no finer mistress, or even person, in Prudence's eyes.

She – as horrible and bile-inducing as the thought was – had to be telling the truth. Prudence couldn't conceive that she'd lie about such a thing!

But Joseph let out a sound like scoffing.

"And I don't understand why! Keeping a virgin around serves about as much purpose as trying to fill a cup with a hole in the bottom! They have no use, while they are still fresh. But you have to get them early – once they get to a certain age, they dry out, like fruit. It renders them inedible," he explained angrily. "The girl is close to being inedible with no one ever getting a taste, so he might as well take her now and throw away the core! Then he'll understand she was always supposed to be a whore, and he'll find a true, respectable wife! He has to learn, just like I did. Once he has, he can treat them all how he wants..."

He then sent a strange look in his wife's direction – a mix of leering lust and threatening malice.

"Just like I do, and get to do with you for as long as their..._association_ continues," he said sharply. "Remember the bargain _you_ struck, Marie; as long as they are allowed to fraternise, for whatever purpose, I am allowed to use you like a common whore, whenever and wherever I see fit. If you wish to change this, say so. You'll get to keep your legs closed for once if you do."

No longer completely reeling from finding out that the Babcock girl couldn't be a whore (including having that confirmed by the king!), Prudence's face twisted into a darkened storm of a look, but not at all of what the king said.

Just at hearing that all of this – the argument, the queen's current clear indignity, all of the problems going on in the palace – were all the girl's fault.

She should've known! It should've been obvious who was at fault right from the very start! That jumped up little cow was why Queen Marie was here, being treated like some common whore! The Babcock girl was getting away with spending time with the prince when she had no right, and the queen was suffering for it!

That little bitch! Letting the queen – the highest and most respectable lady in the land and probably in so many others – be degraded because she had ideas above her station?!

Who did she think she was, laughing and joking with the prince as though they were friends, with nobody allowed to lift a finger to stop them, all in exchange for letting the queen be turned into some sort of prostitute?!

A woman of her station shouldn't be subjected to being treated as a common harlot. Not when she'd performed her God-given duty and given England both a wonderful, honourable and kind queen as well as numerous heirs to the throne. Sadly, fate had seen fit to take away almost all of her children, but she'd still produced a living heir.

A rather foolish one, perhaps, but nothing that some discipline and a talking to couldn't fix.

The king was partially right in Prudence's eyes – the Babcock girl was simply not meant to be a companion for a prince. Her little game of playing hard-to-get would get her nowhere, and soon enough Prince Niles would be married to a pious and refined woman, while the slut was rotting in her own filth, crying over the treasures she'd once had.

As for making the queen a...well... a whore (Prudence flinched – the words 'Whore' and 'Queen Marie' did not belong together!), she considered it was a slight against the best woman in the whole of England. Regardless, she was but a simple maid, and she had no right to question the king (aloud, that was).

She'd have to feel for her mistress in private, and hope that the wool was pulled from over her eyes and she finally stopped defending that self-serving, conniving, little slut.

But the standoff between king and queen wasn't over. That much Prudence could see. And even if she'd rather the argument wasn't happening (since it would mean Lady Babcock wouldn't be a concern), she simply couldn't help but hang onto every word they were saying.

"I'd razher bear your filzhy appetites time and time again zhan 'ave Niles lose zhe purest zhing een 'is life!"

_Pure_. She supposed she had no choice but to believe it now, but there were still problems with trying to settle the word comfortably in her head. She was more than certain that she would've choked, had she ever had to speak them out loud!

It was obvious that King Joseph felt the same way, though (enviably) he had the privilege of being as vocal as he wanted.

"Then so be it!" he snapped angrily, pointing a warning finger at the queen. "But I bet you anything and warn you just the same; by the time his next birthday is fast approaching, he'll have taken that girl and thrown away what was left! If he knows what's good for him, he'll do it sooner rather than later. Her hole could be all dry inside if he waits any longer. Everything just withers after that and he'll have no fun if he tries."

Marie looked her husband in the face without blinking – an action that Prudence imagined came with risks attached.

Given that she had never had a husband, she didn't know about that sort of thing. She knew that the king was correct, though – she herself had dried up once her teen years had passed and no one had so much as taken a look in her direction.

Not that it mattered. She had her place at the palace (which could, admittedly, be higher than certain people), a duty that served purpose, and the moral high ground over all the little whores who used their bodies to gain things they hadn't earned.

Whether or not that included the Babcock girl, it didn't matter. Prudence still knew she was simply better.

"You disgust me," Marie hissed. "You talk about zhat girl as zhough she were food, and not a living, breazhing, rational being! What she does or does not do eez none of your concern, and your vile attitude towards 'er purity will not stand anymore!"

Joseph sat up (Marie followed suit) and puffed out his chest in anger, in almost the fashion of how Prudence would imagine a great dragon preparing to breathe fire...

"And who is going to stop me? You?! You can't even walk right if I fuck you too hard – do you really think that you can stand in the way of what I am planning?! I'll– "

The doors burst open before he could say any more, carrying in with a gust of...smoke-scented wind...a steward, out of breath from shouting but continuing to do so anyway.

"Fire! My lord, London is burning! The whole city–"

Joseph held out a halting hand as he ran, panicked, into the room.

"Calm down and explain yourself, boy! Tell it slowly, or not at all!" the king snarled, beyond angry at being interrupted when he was just about to put a woman in her place.

But the young man just kept on panicking, now with added whimpering and hurried words.

"Your Majesty, there is no time! The whole of London is in flames! We are evacuating the palace; we must all leave post-haste!"

What...?!

Making sure his underwear covered everything (including tucking his loose shirt back into his britches), Joseph pushed aside the blanket and rose to his feet, hurrying to look out the window.

And for the first time in years, he felt something in his insides drop.

The cloud of smoke covering the skyline beyond the palace was pitch black, with plumes of it adding to the mass the further it went.

Fire. The whole city really was _on_ _fire_!

He turned back towards Marie.

"Our conversation isn't over, it is only delayed. Get up right now and go get dressed. We're leaving!" he marched over to snatch up his discarded clothes, then looked at Prudence. "You; if you value your life, you'll leave at once!

Prudence didn't need to be told twice; she had wanted to scurry out of there the moment she'd realised the steward was shouting that there was a fire! She scrambled herself from the room, leaving behind the tea tray and only wondering if Lady Babcock might get caught up in the flames.

She certainly hoped so.

Joseph, meanwhile, had begun barking at the steward to escort him and Marie out.

Marie got up, straightening out her rumpled shift so it fell back down around her legs and preparing to go to her chambers to get dressed (even if she hated doing as her husband said, she had to be sensible), her stomach churning all the while. Not over the fact that they could be losing their palace if the fire came to them, and all their goods contained therein. They had dozens of palaces and castles – any one of them could become their home, packed to the rafters with things. She was more worried because her son had the length between that day and his birthday that year, before his father took away a chance for him to be happy.

And there didn't seem to be any way to stop him, either.

But speaking of her son, it suddenly occurred to Marie that both he and Lady Babcock were completely unaware of what was going on in the city! They couldn't risk returning to Whitehall, either, since no one really knew it if would still be standing after the fire had been put out.

They'd probably be arriving at Niles' private hunting lodge by now – he'd told her he and Lady Babcock would be spending the day there. With its vast gardens and homey interiors, it was the perfect setting for a picnic. He truly loved that place – it had been a gift from herself and Joseph when Niles had turned fifteen. He was meticulous about keeping it neat and in order, usually visiting it at least once a week to make certain it was being well-kept.

But now it could also serve as refuge for both youngsters. She did not want either of them risking their lives by coming back to London, and in her son's condition, she did not want him riding to Windsor (which was probably where Joseph would ship her off to while he dealt with the fire).

The safest course of action was for them to wait there until the fire was under control. She'd send a steward with food, entertainment and clothes for the both of them and that would be that.

But first, she had to let her husband know. He was a pig, but their son was his most beloved treasure and he'd agree with her about keeping Niles away from the fire while he was still recuperating.

"Joseph, wait!" she cried, clutching at his arm as her husband started to march from the room, "Niles! 'e's gone to zhe 'unting lodge – 'e and Lady Babcock must stay zhere!"

As soon as she mentioned Niles, something almost visibly clicked in his head. It truly went to show that his boy was the only thing he cared about.

The only person he loved, apart from himself.

He snapped his eyes straight back to the steward, "You heard. Have food, drink, books, clothing – anything worth needing – sent to the prince's royal lodge. Send enough for about a month, just in case. We wouldn't want the boy to have to scrounge, if he ended up trapped there...!"

Marie felt an irritation settle under her skin. Of course, he only cared that Niles got food and clothes, but had not stopped to think that two people had gone on that picnic!

"And Lady Babcock?" she asked, an edge to her words that was designed to make him listen. "What about 'er, and all zhe food and clozhing _she_ will need eef zhey end up staying zhere for an extended period of time...?"

She waited as she saw Joseph's face turn to consideration. She knew that he was only doing it because she'd just backed him into a corner (a small victory), but if it meant getting things to Lady Babcock and not just their son, then it would be worth it.

"Right. Of course," he eventually said stiffly, clearly making it known that he didn't care if Lady Babcock had food and clothes or not but saying something because he knew Marie would kick up a fuss if he didn't. "Get things for the girl, too. Lady Babcock. Go to her rooms, pack everything in there and send it over to the Lodge."

Marie noted how he'd reluctantly added C.C.'s name to the end of his first order. It just went to show further exactly what he thought – he'd probably prefer it if she was naked for that entire month, for their son to gawk and gaze at, tease and pinch, and pleasure himself upon whenever he wanted...!

But she wasn't like that, as much as his imagination believed that all women should be. He was going to be sorely disappointed if and when Niles came back and told him no hunting lodge conquest stories.

But that was his bad luck. Lady Babcock was a person, not a fantasy. She was going to get clothes and food, just like any other non-fantasy person who needed them.

Joseph was trying to regain his momentarily lost pride by providing a further order.

"When the supplies arrive, tell the prince that he is under strict orders to remain there. He is not to return to London under any circumstances, no matter what he thinks could be happening!"

Marie had to agree with Joseph there – it was, in actual fact, the only thing they would have been able to agree on, had it been discussed. Niles was too much of a hero for his own good, sometimes. He'd come back in a heartbeat to try and perform some sort of rescue for them! And the last thing they needed was their son, and their only heir, getting himself hurt!

He'd already done that enough, Marie thought to herself. And, if Joseph's head wasn't currently filled with things to do with the fire, there was probably something similar on his mind.

The steward nodded as he repeated back the things he'd been ordered to do, "Yes, Your Majesty. Food, supplies, entertainment and clothing for His Royal Highness and the Lady Babcock. And a message for His Royal Highness to stay where they are."

"I suppose that's right," Joseph said gruffly, having had to accept the last-minute inclusion of C.C. on the list. "Now go – the sooner you get going, the sooner it's done!"

With a bow, the steward was off. And, before she parted ways with her husband to go to her chambers and change out of the underclothes he'd ruined and sullied (right down to the memory), Marie couldn't help but smirk a little to herself.

She'd won something of a victory today.

She might've been treated like a common whore and humiliated for it in front of a servant, but she'd just gotten Joseph to order Niles and C.C. to spend time alone together in a secluded cabin.

And he'd even thrown in food and fresh clothes, to boot!

* * *

Niles' Royal Lodge was, without the shadow of a doubt, his most treasured possession. Located within the walls of Amberley Castle (an impressive structure that his father had acquired from the Bishops of Chichester a few years ago), was the impressive ten-bedroom structure, which was not only the first patch of land that had ever belonged to him, but also the one place he could do with as he pleased. His father had given a monthly stipend for the upkeep of the building, the surrounding land and the staff that worked there since he and Marie had first gifted the lodge to Niles, and the prince had always been very careful about his finances, where his lodge was concerned.

He liked his lodge to be nice and clean, always ready to receive him and his men when they went hunting. In all the years he'd owned it, however, he'd never taken a woman to it. Not when he considered this lodge as his private retreat for when life at court became painfully stifling.

He only brought his closest and most trusted friends there. His lovers, whether they were noble women or common sluts, had never been deemed worthy of stepping a foot inside.

Not to get him wrong, he'd gone to plenty of brothels and had had countless women during his trips, but he'd never even thought about bringing them over to his home.

Lady Babcock was, unsurprisingly, the first woman he'd ever taken there. At one point he'd thought that not even his future wife would be allowed into his retreat but, as it was, he could only think about sharing the space with her.

In particular, he'd never imagined caring about what anybody thought of how the place looked. Granted, he kept it as pristine as he could possibly imagine, given that it was his first own home and he wanted to keep it in a good condition, but he had never imagined thinking any of the things he was thinking about right now!

Namely, what Lady Babcock would think of the front of the property (would she think it impressive? Would it make a good first impression as they got close?). And the interior (was it warm enough for her? Had the servants built a fire in preparation or would he have to quickly summon up the blood to learn how to tackle that task himself?). And if she was going to like it all enough (from each of the rooms, to the servants) to want to come back again.

Maybe next time, one of his personal household staff would prepare them a meal here. And if it got late, Lady Babcock could sleep in one of the guest bedrooms!

The place had more than enough bedroom, thank God – he did not want to put her on the spot when he insisted that she take his bed and let him sleep on the floor!

He didn't think he'd ever been so excited at the thought of sharing a private space. People who knew him before would probably ask if he hadn't cracked his head falling from Athena, too...!

"Oh, my God, _that's _your lodge?!"

Lady Babcock's exclamation quickly brought the prince out of his reverie. The woman was perched on the edge of her seat, staring off into the horizon, where the outline of Amberley Castle could clearly be seen. It was rather comical, really, to see the otherwise level-headed lady experiencing child-like wonderment.

It made Niles feel warm inside, and for just a moment he couldn't help but stare at her adoringly.

Of course he looked away the moment Lady Babcock turned to look at him – the thought of her catching him staring at her in such a manner made him red in the face.

"No, Milady, that's Amberley Castle," he said, pointing at the building, "It belongs to my father, but my lodge is located within its walls. He and my mother had it built for me as a birthday present."

"Oh," Lady Babcock sat back on her seat, "Well, that's certainly a nice gift, Milord. My parents never gifted me a home, but they always give me and my sister plenty of jewels and dresses…"

C.C. frowned, realising her little grammatical slip. "Or well, they _gave_ them to us, when he was alive…"

Niles felt his stomach churning up with guilt, and he wondered if he could have phrased his answer differently. He didn't have to mention that the lodge was a gift from his parents – he could've left it at "my lodge is located within its walls"!

She would've gotten the message just the same, and she wouldn't have started what was supposed to be a wonderful day out thinking about her late father and mother!

It was all his fault. He was embarrassing himself at almost every turn and seemed to be filling the gaps with things he should never do nor say to a lady. He couldn't leave it there, with her looking so upset! It was breaking his heart, seeing her that way...

So, before he could wonder if it was a good idea, he reached over (as much as his complaining ribcage would allow) and clasped her hand in his, trying to be comforting.

"I'm sure you both looked wonderful," he said. "And your parents would be very proud to see you, now..."

He hoped that that had come out right. He meant that Lord and Lady Babcock would want to see their daughter getting back on her feet after facing adversity, and becoming an independent woman with her own thoughts and feelings...

He just didn't know if he'd managed to convey any of that in what he'd said...

"I hope so, Your Royal Highness, I certainly hope so" she said with a weak smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Part of her was hoping he'd just not press the matter any further, since thinking about her family always made her terribly sad, which would put a damper on what was supposed to be a wonderful day out. The prince sensed this, so he made them both a favour and fell silent. Granted, he was feeling awkward and more than a little guilty, but he also knew she needed some space.

She seldom talked about her family, but when she did, she always needed a few moments to gather her thoughts afterwards. It was something he hadn't quite understood at first, but the more he'd gotten to know her, the more he'd seen how hard life could be without a family. He certainly couldn't imagine his life without his parents, as it was! Not to mention that, alongside her family, Lady Babcock had also lost her home, her money and most of her possessions.

Niles' stomach churned for what felt like the dozenth time that day – the thought of her being in pain any and him not being able to make it stop was nearly unbearable to him. It made him more determined to do good by her, however he could. He knew that, for her to go back to the life she'd once know, the only option was for her to marry a wealthy suitor. Maybe an Earl or a Duke. The task of marrying her off would have fallen on her father, but since he was no longer among the living, he supposed it now fell on him.

He wanted to protect her. To make her happy. And he was more than willing to pay a dowry for her (which would come from his own finances, of course) as well as provide her with adequate clothing and jewels. Exactly what would have happened, had Lord Stewart been alive…

He would not allow her to live as a maid forever. It would not be fair and he certainly wouldn't be able to live with himself unless Lady Babcock was happy. Still, he figured he could put off looking for suitor for a little while. It made him terribly uneasy to admit it, but he did not wish her to go anywhere just yet. It might have been selfish, but he…he'd never felt like this before about a woman. He appreciated and craved for her company, and although it was undeniable that she was absolutely gorgeous, her beauty was not the first thing he liked about her.

She was so much more than just a pretty face…

Her friendship was one of the best things that he had in his life, and the moment she was married off, he knew his access to her company would be limited. She would be someone's wife and then someone's mother, and he could not ask her to forfeit her future family to have tea with him.

Niles felt a strange, burning feeling in his chest whenever he thought about Lady Babcock in someone else's arms, smiling adoringly at some dashing and wealthy gentleman while he cradled her round belly. He simply couldn't stand the mere idea of her being swept off her feet by another man.

But again, as much as he loathed the idea, it was his duty to ensure that she was, even if he knew he'd resent that bastard all of his life. There would be no luckier man in the whole wide world than the one who married Lady Babcock, in his eyes.

It was making his skin prick all over, like someone was poking him with sewing needles, even thinking about it. And it wasn't even as though he wanted the thoughts there, they simply came and went of their own accord, disturbing him (and even sometimes angering him) at all hours of the day...!

He was seeing that bastard, kissing Lady Babcock's hand and murmuring sweet nothings like some pure and perfect gentleman before he went out on a hunt, or on official business, or something else Niles was sure he wouldn't care about if he ever met the man after the two got married.

He saw the two dining together, talking and laughing. Much like they themselves had done, and would be able to do, up until she got married...

He didn't like to even describe what he saw next in a flash of invasive thought. All he knew was that it made him want to kill a bastard he hadn't even met.

He had to distract himself immediately – in a way that he hoped would also bring a new sense of cheer to Lady Babcock's heart. He slowly released her hand and looked as much as he could out of the carriage window, and pointed towards the castle walls.

"It looks like they're opening the gates for us...!" he commented, smiling back at her over his shoulder. "It won't be long now. Are you hungry?"

C.C. had to think about it before realising that she was, actually, rather hungry. She'd gotten so caught up in what they'd been talking about – in the memory of her family and the times she'd had before – that she'd put it to one side!

It was nice and it was easy, having that as a distraction. Food she could think about quite happily, especially after they'd been travelling for quite some time!

"I am," she replied, nodding. "Where are we going to eat?"

Niles smiled again, half to her and half to himself – there was a little secluded spot not far from his lodge that was perfect for a picnic.

Just right for two people to share, as well...

"Somewhere very close by," he told her, turning back to watch out the carriage window as the gates opened up and they were granted entry. "It's near the lodge."

He hadn't felt this much like a child since...well, since he had been a child! And even then, he hadn't ever particularly felt like showing people the places that he went.

He used to enjoy exploring by himself. But now that Lady Babcock was there, he couldn't imagine going alone. He was nearly-but-not-quite jumping at the thought (damn his ribs!) by the time the carriage pulled up into the castle courtyard. Some of the servants were waiting to receive them, no doubt having made everything spick and span in preparation for his arrival.

Good. He wanted the lodge to look its absolute best – he wanted Lady Babcock to like it.

He wasn't sure how he'd feel if she didn't. It would be as though someone had released all the air from his lungs and settled iron weights in his insides instead, and he didn't know if it would be a feeling that would ever go away...

The carriage door was opened by a young page and Lady Babcock turned to smile at the prince.

"Here we are," she said, somehow in his eyes looking more like a ray of delightful sunshine than ever. "Do you need my help to get out of the carriage, or would you prefer one of the servants here to help?"

Niles half bit his lip as he thought. In an ideal world, he'd step out of that carriage by himself, carrying each of the picnic baskets and showing her the way to their intended eating spot.

But as it was, he had a choice to make, and it either involved not being a gentleman again, or letting all the servants know where they were going when he wanted it to just be the two of them...

He supposed he could send them away once they'd served their purpose. They did not have to stay if he did not wish them to. He was the lord of the house, and his command had to be obeyed, whether they liked it or not.

He'd much rather be a gentleman to Lady Babcock, anyway.

"Worry not, Milady," he said, gesturing over at where his servants stood. "You are a guest here, and you are not to worry about anything else but having a good time. Now, if you could wait for me outside the carriage, my stewards shall help me down."

Lady Babcock curtsied to him, still keeping that gorgeous smile of hers on her delicate face.

"As you wish, Your Royal Highness," she said moments before removing herself from the carriage.

Pleased with her answer and pleased with himself, Niles called a couple of the waiting stewards over to come help him down. He couldn't wait for them to get going on the picnic, and the sooner he was out of the carriage, the better!

Besides, the faster he was out, the faster they could remove the picnic baskets from the carriage. He couldn't wait to see what the cooks had made and the pages had packed for them...

He had no doubt it would be the most glorious meal he'd ever eaten, even if only because his company would make it so. He was grinning to himself, probably looking very much like a fool, when the stewards appeared at the carriage door.

"Does His Royal Highness require our assistance?" one of them – the one who looked older – asked.

Luckily, he wasn't so out of it with thoughts of being alone in the countryside, surrounded by good food and wine with Lady Babcock, that he couldn't answer a simple question.

"Yes," he replied, preparing as much as he could to get up. "My ribcage is still...on the mend, so be careful. And send somebody to settle the spot for our picnic and fetch these baskets. They contain all the food Lady Babcock and I will need for our trip this afternoon."

Whether or not they were unsure, or perplexed, or judgmental of his statement, Niles couldn't tell. As long as they obeyed what he said and kept their opinions to themselves, he didn't much care about what they thought.

But the same steward who had answered before - he might've been higher ranking than the younger man - nodded again.

"As you wish, my lord."

Luckily for him (or maybe for them, if they knew what was good), his servants didn't comment on what he'd said, or shown any kind of distaste for Lady Babcock. Again, had any of them said so much as a peep against her, they would have been out on the curb faster than they could say "sorry!".

Speaking of fast things, his getting out of the carriage was anything but.

It took all the delicate manoeuvring the stewards could manage (not that either would have dared use the word "delicate"!) to get him down. One went in front to help steady him, the other came up behind him to balance out the weight.

Not that Niles thought he was getting fat, either! Although, if he did chance a glance down at his stomach, he did wonder if there was some... paunch...there...

Perhaps after this picnic with Lady Babcock, he'd try to do something about it. He had been in bed for weeks now, so he needed to return to exercising. He wanted to remain in peak physical condition! And a very insecure part of him doubted that Lady Babcock would like it if she knew that there was extra paunch, just lurking there as part of his belly.

She was waiting off to one side when the stewards had managed to help him through the carriage door.

"Are you sure you don't need an extra set of hands, Your Royal Highness?" she called out, apparently in some concern. "I did manage to help you in, and we really don't want you re-cracking any of your ribs..."

"I shall be fine, Lady Babcock," he replied, trying hard not to wheeze, even if he was already feeling exhausted – so many weeks in bed had really taken their toll on him! "Don't you worry about me."

C.C. tried hard to keep from grinning at the prince's obvious attempt at appearing strong and virile. It was rather endearing, really, to see him trying to impress the people around him so hard. He had nothing to prove to anyone – everyone knew he was a strong man! He just had to take it easy after having sustained a number of grave (and painful) injuries.

But again, he was still a bit of a hard-headed idiot who had to act all tough and manly.

Honestly, she couldn't help but find the whole thing hilarious.

It took all the effort in the world not to laugh at the way he kept on putting up that masculinity-hiding-his-pain front, all the way out of the carriage door and down the steps.

Although, part of her did get concerned about those steps...he came down them quite fast...

But he landed on the ground, clearly as proud of himself as a peacock. He was even attempting to puff out his chest a little (obviously not too much, because his side still hurt), and he was beaming all over his face. He looked every inch a man who'd conquered the world. And had only sustained a few serious injuries along the way.

"Right," he began, placing his hands on his hips. "The stewards are going to see to our picnic baskets, so we will not have to carry a single thing."

_Apart from if I have to carry you_, C.C. thought to herself in a small amount of amusement.

Not that she said so. Instead, she let Niles make a sweeping gesture around at the grounds.

"Welcome to Amberley Castle," he declared, still hoping that he was coming off as impressive. "It is here that I have my lodge, and near here that we shall take our picnic."

He then turned fully back to her, hope fully bloomed like a rose in his heart, and beamed.

He didn't want to outright ask what she thought, but it was very hard not to, when he wanted to know so badly! Did she think the grounds looked large and immaculate? Was the castle as beautiful to her as it was to him? Were the views that they'd seen on the way to the castle just as breathtaking as the rest?

He wanted to know what she thought of everything! If she found a fault, he'd have to look at whatever it was again – he'd probably end up getting rid of it, too; he highly doubted Lady Babcock would tell him that something was amiss when it wasn't...

He was more than happy to defer to her better judgement, in that regard. And if it meant that she was even happier to see the place, then he'd consider it no small loss, getting rid of whatever she didn't like about the place!

Not that she seemed to dislike it, much to the relief of some panicking thing in his chest. She was, in actual fact, staring around at the place with a beautiful smile gracing those delicate features of hers...

"It looks absolutely wonderful, Your Royal Highness," she said. "You must be very proud to call this place your own."

Niles could feel his chest swelling with pride (metaphorically speaking, of course, lest he hurt himself again!). He really was proud of his retreat, he always had been, but he'd never really cared about what other people thought of it.

Not until Lady Babcock had said she'd liked it, anyway. Now, he was determined to make sure everything about the day was to her liking!

If it was, she might want to come again, and go on more picnics with him...

That thought warmed him so much from the insides, he could've sworn his bones had mended the rest of the way. It made him feel...light. Like there was air trapped inside him that made him want to laugh...

He held it in, though. He didn't want her to think him a complete fool! Instead, he distracted himself and her from it by reminding of why they were there.

"I am," he nodded, before looking over towards a lovely green patch shaded by trees – the direction in which the site of their picnic lay. "But I shall show you around after we have had our meal. You must be famished by now, and it would be impolite of me to keep you waiting any longer."

They made their way to the designated picnic site, allowing the servants to go on ahead and set out everything they had brought. And, once it was all prepared, it didn't take the two of them much longer to settle themselves on the blanket that had been set out, nor to open the bottle of wine left there, or the baskets crammed with food. Crusty breads, cooked meat of all kinds, hard boiled eggs, soft cakes and sweet fruits and cheeses in several different strengths and colours greeted them in return, just waiting for them to fill themselves.

And fill themselves they did, joking and laughing all the while, and taking breaks in between by playing games of cards and chess that the servants had packed with the baskets.

C.C.'s latest small, delighted dance of victory over yet another checkmate and Niles' feigned huffed complaint were both interrupted by a shout from the main gate.

A call to open it...? Who was coming in? No one else was scheduled to visit, or due to arrive. Why did they have to interrupt his day with Lady Babcock?

His head snapped round towards the unexpected guest that was soon hurrying in through the gate, his brow furrowing together when he recognised the carriage as one of those from his parents' palace.

The knot in his eyebrows got even tighter when he noticed it was absolutely packed with cases and bags, with many stacked on the roof and on the back.

Was somebody coming to stay, courtesy of his parents? Who could need so many bags?! They looked as though they were intent on staying for weeks!

But as he got wondering and as the black horses pulling the heavy carriage came to an agitated halt, the servants didn't have time to get to the door before it was flung open by none other than one of Niles' father's stewards!

He leapt down from the carriage at such a speed, with such a look of panic on his face, Niles couldn't help the concern spreading in his gut like a virus.

"Your Royal Highness!" the steward cried out, bowing as soon as he was close enough, taking in breaths to catch them back. "I bring...terrible news, from London! The entire city is burning, my lord!"

Niles could not possibly feel any less happy for games or hungry for the rest of the picnic at that. In fact, he was almost certain he thought his entire stomach had dropped out. His mind was racing a mile a minute, too. It matched the speed of his heart as it started to be gripped by fear.

How could it not, upon hearing news like that...?! The whole city, up in flames?! What were they going to do?! There were so many people in London – they all had to get out! They had to evacuate, and bring in someone to fight the fires! They couldn't just let their city be engulfed!

Would his father really stand for it?! He had to be doing something, didn't he?!

_God, his parents_! Surely they had to be safe?! They had to have gotten them out already?!

He had to go to them! He had to check on them, and do what he could to put the city to rights! He'd have Lady Babcock stay where she was for her own safety, of course, but he was going back and setting things right, before it was too late!

"Are my parents alright?" he asked to the steward, "Are they still in London?"

"Her Majesty has been sent to Windsor Castle, Milord," replied the man, who was still trying to catch his breath from his short sprint from the carriage to where the prince and Lady Babcock were. "As for His Majesty, he's chosen to remain in London – he's called for an emergency meeting with the Council, sir."

Well, that did it for Niles. He was a member of his father's Council, and if the rest of the councilmen where currently working on a solution for what could only be described as a catastrophe, he should be there too. It was his duty as England's future monarch, he couldn't simply cower in fear while others risked their lives to protect and save the city and its inhabitants.

He had to get up. He didn't care what it took – even if it was becoming a struggle and he needed to gesture for the steward to help. It both softened and worried him to suddenly feel gentle hands helping him from his other side, too, but when he turned to look at Lady Babcock, she gave him a look in return which told him not to protest at her help.

"Have a carriage ready," ordered the prince as he finally managed to get on his feet, "I am going back to London at once!"

"I… I am afraid I can't allow you to do that, sir," stammered the steward, "His Majesty has forbidden you from leaving the premises. You are to stay here with Lady Babcock until London is deemed safe. Hence your father having sent over everything you and Her Ladyship will need for the duration of your stay here."

Niles' jaw dropped. He wasn't sure he'd heard correctly at first, but the longer he looked and the more he realised the steward was serious, the more he also knew that he hadn't heard a single word wrong.

Had his own father had really expressly forbidden him from returning home, during what was obviously a time of crisis?! Didn't he want his help?! Niles thought he needed it!

How could he not need his help here?! His father had tried to show him everything about ruling before, so why did he leave him out of it during their people's greatest need?!

There had to be so many innocents out there right now, hurting and fleeing and afraid. They had no one and maybe nothing, apart from the people they looked to for guidance!

Niles didn't care if it was dangerous! London was their home! He'd go back a hundred times over to make sure their city remained standing, and their people were safe!

"You can't be serious!" he cried out. "My father honestly expects me to stay here and stay out of it while people flee for their lives and a whole city turns into ash?!"

The steward looked as though he hadn't expected the prince to put up much of a fight. Perhaps it was because, if he'd been in the prince's shoes, he wouldn't have been trying to refuse a potential month-long stay at an empty but comfortable lodge, packed with servants and now stocked with food, entertainment and clothes, all while being accompanied by a beautiful woman who clearly enjoyed his company.

Not that he said anything so out of turn out loud.

"It was his strict order, sir," he replied instead. "He claimed that he wanted you to be safe, above all else."

Niles nearly groaned aloud in frustration. What was the point of him being safe if the people he was supposed to lead one day were being turned out of hearth and home, or else turned into charred remains?! It wasn't right!

C.C. could see the look of anger growing on his features. She bit the inside of her lip in response. It was obvious that Niles wanted to go back and do right by his people, as was the noble want of a good man.

But...and it felt odd and wrong to say this...perhaps King Joseph had a point, on this occasion? He only had one heir, after all.

An heir who had already been injured, and could've been lost once...

She'd heard of many tales, where riders fell from their horses, only never to get up again. Looking back now, she could only see how close she –..._they'd_...come to not having the prince there anymore.

She didn't really like thinking about it. And she didn't want to have to think of more scenarios like it, either. As safe as she was sure Niles would try to keep himself, a fire that could consume a whole city so quickly had to be out of control – what if it was...what if it was too much?!

She knew she had no right to say what she was thinking out loud. She knew it wasn't her place and never would be – she was just a glorified servant who happened to have enough noble blood to be friends with a prince. Whatever she wanted, didn't matter. It wasn't going to happen.

But she could at least try to get him to see some sense! She couldn't stand by and just watch him go, without at least trying.

Taking a minute step forward, she started to gently plead her case, and the case of the steward as well, "Your Royal Highness, please...I...I think your father may be correct, here. If that fire is burning down the whole of London, what good will it do for you to return and get yourself...even more hurt than you already are? You are not full strength yet, and that wouldn't help you if you went back and immediately tried to help put out a fire!"

She didn't mention the fact that she was terrified of him not returning at all, but the fear in her face probably told everyone around that she, too, was afraid of Prince Niles riding into certain death. She didn't know what she'd do if she– _they_ lost their prince, and the mere thought of it was enough to make her heart jump uneasily in her chest. She admired that he wanted to go help his people, but he also had to think of himself and what was best for his recovery.

"But Lady Babcock," protested the prince, turning to look at her, "The people in London need––"

"Need Your Royal Highness to get well before you try to help them," C.C. insisted. She had an urge to hold his hands in hers, but she knew that was out of the question. She'd be out of line if she ever did that. "Please, sir, the kingdom needs you alive, and rushing into a hellish fire when you are still recuperating won't do anyone any good."

She was looking at him with such fear in her eyes, Niles thought he could jump up, grab his sword and set out to fight whatever vile man or creature had caused the lady such distress. But he knew that was just his heart yearning to make it better, and he knew that there was no real man or monster that had caused her to become so terrified.

It was the idea of him going back that had done that.

He thought it could warm him to his very core that she cared so deeply! He thought his ribs might snap back into place for good, and his arm would mend entirely, all from the idea that she didn't want him to go.

She wanted him safe. Even if that meant siding with his father to do it.

And she was...well, more than correct in that he wouldn't be of much help, and could even be considered a hindrance, in his current condition. That pained him in the same fashion as embarrassment or humiliation. But he was going to make sure he powered through that.

Anything, to make the sun shine in her eyes again.

"Lady Babcock, I...I am grateful, for your honesty," he told her, wishing with all his might that he could reach forwards and take her hands. "You...you're right, to put me in my place over this. I am not well enough to attend the scene of a fire, so I will not go."

He then turned to the steward, pointing a finger in an ordering fashion.

"But I want my father to know that I still intend to help somehow. Even if I am merely looking at the reports, or treasury costs for repairs."

He wasn't about to leave his people entirely, even if he did have to rest. He'd more than happily honour Lady Babcock's wishes, of course, but he had to do right as the future king as well!

This time, he had simply made an arrangement that would, surely, satisfy everybody. It seemed to satisfy the steward, at any rate. The man had probably been fearing some sort of punishment, if he had returned to London with the prince in tow!

With a hasty bow, he hurried back to the carriage to oversee the transport of the prince's and C.C.'s things into their rooms in the lodge.

And Niles thought he saw the spark of starlight coming back into Lady Babcock's eyes. A whole new sense of peace looked as though it had come over her, and she was smiling softly.

It was a smile full of relief.

She deserved to have a good time there at the lodge, as his guest. It was the least he could do, seeing as she had been trapped there with him.

So, he started out by offering her his good arm.

"Shall we resume our picnic now, my lady?"

He dared to hope that her eyes shone brighter, just before she took it.

"I'd be delighted my lord."

Niles thought he was, too. He had never wanted to share his lodge – his most private space – with anyone so much, let alone have a picnic with them there! There could not have been a better moment, even while knowing a city was in flames and knowing that he would have to spend a lot of time helping everyone else recover from that.

But he at least got some more time with Lady Babcock, for one more day, or week, or however long the fire took to burn out. And, settling back down as slowly as he could manage (and as much as he could lean on her for assistance without becoming less of a gentleman), they got back to the rest of their picnic, determined to enjoy the rest of the day together.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 11**

The Great Fire. That was what the people had started calling the inferno that had swallowed over half of London. No one could make any sense of the tragedy, nor could they understand the extent of the damage.

The fire had burned for five whole days and had robbed the Londoners of 436 acres of land, within which thirteen-thousand houses and eighty-seven churches had once stood. The city was smouldering still – smoke reigned the empty streets, rivalled only by the echoing cries of the poor souls that had been victimised by the unyielding flames. Many roamed the streets with a vacant look on their faces, scouting around for food or discarded garments they could use to fight off the cold.

It was only natural for deep-rooted despair to follow frenzied panic, but at the end of the day, sorrowful people were easier to control than terrified ones. Initially, thousands upon thousands of people had poured out of the city, carrying with them the few possessions they'd been able to gather before escaping the roaring flames. This had been encouraged by the king; he'd wanted everybody out, and had ordered for the houses in the path of fire to be pulled down to create fire-breaks. He'd also joined the newly created Fire Brigade and he'd spent endless hours passing buckets of water in an attempt to quell the flames.

Joseph had, with his own two eyes, seen the moment when St Paul's Cathedral had collapsed in on itself and when its leaded roof melted and poured down the street like a deadly, sizzling river.

Eventually, the inferno had been brought under control, leaving behind a desolate city. The historic centre had been burnt to a crisp, making every Londoner fear that not only had the fire taken away their present, but it had also taken away their past. There was a sense of being lost. There was no clear North to go to and, for now, the victims could only huddle together and make do in the refugee camps that had been set up on the outskirts of the city.

Still, King Joseph was rising to the occasion (to some extent, at least). He'd ordered for the city's streets to be cleared as soon as it was possible, and he'd encouraged the displaced citizens to resettle elsewhere. He'd issued a proclamation that forced every city to take in those who had been affected by the fire, no questions asked. He'd also set up a special Fire Court and had tasked Prince Niles to oversee the future rebuilding schemes.

So, for the past two weeks, that's exactly what Prince Niles had been doing – spending his every waking hour going over how they'd rebuild their lost city. It had quickly dawned on them all that it would take well over a decade to rebuild everything, but it was a job that would have to be done, one way or another. The prince had already given an incredibly important first step by establishing new regulations on housebuilding to prevent such a disaster happening again, and he and the other members of the Fire Court were working tirelessly to come up with a solution to the problem.

Naturally, Niles hadn't been allowed back to Whitehall yet (which was, thankfully, untouched), so he'd been holding his meetings in his lodge.

He'd barely stopped to rest since the fire – he simply wouldn't allow himself to lollygag or laze about. He was determined to rise up to the occasion. Still, he'd never been more exhausted in his life, nor more determined to wrestle the ache it caused into submission. There were people out there who needed him more than he needed to rest.

Not that Lady Babcock had agreed with him. She'd taken every turn that she could to get him to eat and sleep, from slipping plates of food that she'd made herself under his nose at times she knew had previously been for meals in his mind, causing his stomach to growl, to even blowing out the candles in his study while he was still in there, reading through papers.

When she wasn't forcing him to eat, or insisting that it was night-time outside and nighttime was for sleeping, she'd be sat by him. She'd ask him about what he was doing (she'd even come up with some really good ideas, which he'd gladly accepted) or remind him about the need to rest his mind by insisting they took short walks in the fresh air. Sometimes, when he was feeling particularly exhausted, she'd read to him from the books she'd borrowed from his extensive library or insist they played a game, like chess or cribbage.

If it hadn't been for the work distracting him, he was sure that he would have found himself close to paradise, just in listening to her read or sharing fun-filled game nights! He certainly felt as though he could do with paradise, once this was all over and he didn't have the notes of the last meeting he'd been in (which had lasted all day) spread out over his desk.

But only once this was over. He had too much to do before he could enjoy himself on any level – the fire had cost so many people greatly, he couldn't afford to sit back and relax while they suffered with what little they and their families had left...

He was still at his desk, hunched over in a position most might've sworn he'd held for days, when a soft, familiar knock at the door caught his attention.

"Your Royal Highness? Dinner is ready," Lady Babcock told him, voice as gentle as her footsteps as they came in.

It made his chest tight, thinking about how kind she was being and how she didn't have to do any of this. She could've been enjoying her stay out in the countryside, but instead she was spending her time with him, in between and during his hours spent working. She deserved better than that. And he couldn't give it – not when he had to finish what he was doing.

Those pieces of paper were the only reason he didn't look round as he answered.

"Thank you, Lady Babcock. Is it on a tray? I can eat it in here..."

There were another few steps behind him, louder and closer.

"No, it's on the table," she told him. "You've been working hard, sir. You deserve to rest – you _need_ to rest...! You cannot expect to help London fully if you do not help yourself fully too..."

Niles felt his chest tighten even more. He couldn't afford to put the papers down, but his mind was grappling uncomfortably with the idea that she did have a point. What if he read something wrong because his eyes had been staring too long? What if a lack of food or sleep made him exhausted and he missed something important?

But the sooner he got through the paper, the sooner it was done. The sooner he was helping people who needed him. And he wasn't very tired just then – he could stand to wait...

"I will eat when this is done," he eventually said back politely, the guilty part of him winning out. "Please, Lady Babcock, do not trouble yourself on my account."

But C.C. wasn't about to give in so easily. She'd seen him work too long and too hard for that – he needed a break, and that involved looking at something other than those papers for a while! He was noble, kind, and he was doing his best for his people. But she had to convince him to do what was best for himself as well.

And she thought she knew a way.

"Alright," she said, taking her usual seat by him. "Then I won't eat until you're done, either."

Niles blinked up at her from his papers. Properly looking, this time.

"What...?" he asked, feeling a little bit concerned as his voice raised. "But my lady, why? It will go cold, and you'll go hungry!"

"So will your food, and so will you," she replied, calm and collected. "I would personally rather eat cold food with company than a warm meal without. And I still believe that you need to see something other than these four walls..."

The tightness in his chest was almost crushing at this point.

Her persistence was frustrating, in one sense.

But in another, he honestly believed she was too good for him. She would delay her own dinner to sit and eat with him, even if the food had long gone cold, for crying out loud!

He admired – liked – her stubbornness.

But he couldn't really do that to her, could he? It wouldn't be fair. And that...well, that combined with the point about him needing to rest...He caved in.

"Alright! I will put these papers down and we shall eat."

He offered her his hand as he spoke, which she happily took. She was capable of getting up on her own, but she knew helping her up was a gentlemanly gesture and it would be in poor taste to reject it.

Not that she'd admit it to anyone (not even herself), but she also liked the feeling of his hand in hers. It was warm and strong; the hand of a man she felt at home with. But again, she was always quick to banish those thoughts the second they surfaced in her mind – she had to remember her place. She was a servant and he was her prince and future king. She couldn't and wouldn't entertain silly dreams.

After all, what good had daydreaming ever done to her?

She was keeping him company, that's all. She was a nice distraction for a powerful prince, and would continue to be so until he'd decided otherwise. It wasn't much in terms of having a purpose in life, but she was happy as it was. She'd grown to treasure his company, and in these last few weeks spent together her fondness for him had only grown. He was a good man, regardless of his past mistakes. He wanted to do right by his people, which was a lot more that his father had ever done.

Still, he had the annoying habit of overworking himself to the point of exhaustion, and she'd vowed to herself that she'd take care of him for all the times he couldn't do it himself.

Hence the feast that awaited in the dining room.

She got rid of the thought that she wanted the walk there to take time. She knew that wanting something wouldn't make it happen. Instead, she focused her energy on hoping that he would like the food he saw.

And it was a magnificent spread, indeed. From the roasted leeks and carrots and potatoes with butter piled up on plates and in bowls, crisp and golden, to the hefty joints of meat that crowned the table, with everything edible in between – freshly baked bread, a thick-crusted pie, delicious red-and-green apples, burgundy cherries, cakes and bottles of wine and so many blocks of cheese that they resembled their own little civilisation...

Niles was in awe. He'd been to so many balls and banquets and feasts in so many palaces and castles, but he had never seen such a sight in his own lodge! Why would he? It was his home, and the servants usually only made dinner for him!

They had...truly outdone themselves...

His jaw had dropped open without even realising, too - he only knew it wasn't where it should be when he tried to speak.

"I...I don't even know what to say!" he exclaimed. "This is magnificent!"

C.C. smiled at him, warmed inside by the compliment.

"Why thank you, sir. I was afraid the pie would burn when I was outside picking the apples, but I think it came out right! And I had to check twice with your servants to make sure the vintage was correct, to compliment the meat and the cheese...!"

Niles' eyes immediately went to the woman beside him.

"You did all of this yourself...?!"

"The cooks helped me, but for the most part yes," she replied.

Niles had to make an effort not to let his jaw drop – Lady Babcock had prepared all of this...just for the two of them...?! She was even more magnificent than he'd ever imagined! She was beautiful, intelligent, witty, and now he was just on the cusp of discovering another one of her talents!

He had never thought about the possibility of her cooking. Not seriously, anyway – noblewomen didn't, and she had never been a cook, even when she'd been a maid of a lower stature, before his mother had made her First Lady of the Bedchamber. He couldn't wait to try everything out…

Taking her hand again, they paraded a little around the table. She pointed out and told him about all the things she'd cooked and picked and prepared as they went, with the prince listening intently to even the smallest detail. He realised that he didn't want to miss hearing about a single drop of milk she'd spilled, or about the bag of flour that had nearly covered her in a cloud when she'd dropped it down too heavily on the kitchen table...

It was only after that that they sat down, with Niles pulling out a chair for C.C. (he insisted, even though most would practically demand that he sat down first). He poured wine for her as well, which earned him a confused look.

But it was an easily explained gesture.

"You've worked so hard on this, my lady – please, allow me to have the honour of doing my part. If you think that I have earned an evening of rest, then so have you for creating something so wonderful."

C.C. thought that might've been the nicest thing he could have said. When she had been nothing but a low-ranking maid, her superiors had given her nothing but grief over everything she'd done and even then, she wasn't allowed to do anything except work more (and harder and better).

Being told by the prince himself that she had worked hard and earned her rest...that was worth everything to her.

Nothing would ever come of it. Her fate of a working life alone was already sealed. But at least she had those words, to know she was appreciated. It made it worthwhile, knowing she was good at what she'd be doing for the rest of her days.

"Thank you, sir—"

"Please," interrupted Prince Niles, giving her a soft, encouraging smile that was making her go weak on the knees, "call me Niles. I believe we have reached the stage where we can be on a first-name basis, don't you agree?"

"If my Lord thinks so, then I shall call His Royal Highness by his name," replied the Lady. "And I am most thankful for your kindness."

The Prince smiled.

"Ditto."

He extended his arm, his own cup held firmly in his hand, and C.C. was soon doing the same.

"A toast," said the prince, "to a nice evening together."

They chinked glasses then, and soon the two of them were making their way through the different courses, chatting amicably about idle nonsenses and unimportant matters. They had a tacit agreement that work wouldn't be mentioned in the meantime, and both maid and prince were happy to honour said agreement. There was no sense in spoiling an otherwise wonderful evening.

"Lady Babcock," Niles said, having taken a bite out of her pie, "this is—"

"Please, _Niles_ , call me C.C.."

Niles couldn't help the silly, self-satisfied, little smile spreading across his features.

"C.C...a marvellous name. I-if I might say so, if course."

He then immediately wanted to kick himself. "Marvellous"? He could've used any word in the bloody language and he'd chosen "marvellous"?! He could've used "beautiful", or "gorgeous", or...or "perfect"...

He shook his head to clear away that thought. He'd just had to think of another word! Anything except "marvellous"!

C.C. let a little bubble of a laugh make its way up her throat. She'd never considered her full name to be...well, anything more than a bit of a nuisance, at best. It was awkward and embarrassing, at worst.

Part of her wondered if Niles would think it was an awkward and embarrassing name as well...

But she was going to be brave and test those waters. She already suspected he'd never mention it again, if he made any show of not liking it...

"Well, you only think that because you haven't heard what those initials stand for..."

Niles looked at her curiously. He hadn't really thought about Lady Babcock's initials much, but now that he was, he couldn't imagine them as standing for something anything less than stunning.

There was only one way to find out if he was correct, of course.

He tilted his head a little bit to the side, emulating how a dog might look with interest at something covered in smells from diffident dogs and faraway places...

"What do your initials stand for, my lady?"

C.C. started to chuckle nervously. Well, here went nothing, she supposed. If he really did like her name, then she'd be surprised. If he was polite enough, they could probably go without ever mentioning it again. She'd be perfectly happy with that – that way, she might not have to think and cringe about it.

She was already on the verge of that happening. Her stomach was starting to tighten and she knew her other organs would follow, too. It always happened, whenever she thought about that godawful set of letters that strung together to form her given name.

Taking in a deep breath, she answered as she kept her smile firmly in place.

"Chastity-Claire. My initials stand for Chastity-Claire..."

Chastity-Claire.

Niles felt his heart flutter.

"Oh...that is a beautiful name...!"

It was out before he could stop it, and part of him was stubborn enough to declare that they shouldn't have to keep it and never announce anything which could be construed as intentions. The rest of him was back to kicking himself with how gushing and over-the-top in praise it was.

Many admirers would see fit to tell her what sort of a precious gem she was, nestled beneath that golden halo she called hair. The name "Chastity-Claire" only sealed it, in his case. So much so, that he almost burned at the idea of some other man getting to tell her what a beautiful thing it was that she possessed.

But telling her first was all he could ensure that he did.

"Oh, please, don't!" said C.C., grimacing, "I know it's a terrible name..."

Her answer surprised the prince, and made him fear that his compliment had been but a slight to the lady he desperately wanted to impress.

"I speak only the truth, my lady," insisted the prince. "I happen to think your name is lovely."

C.C. chuckled, leaning back in her chair and gently swaying her cup in her hand. So he really meant it? He really liked her name? She couldn't quite understand the prince, but she knew she was not lying.

Only God knew why, but it looked like the prince had the same rotten taste in names as her late mother. As preposterous as it might sound, C.C. had actually gotten the better deal where names were concerned. Her own sister, D.D., had been burdened with the cacophonous name of Dorothea Diana.

It was...nice, that he wasn't lying, though. She didn't think she'd met anybody who'd actually enjoyed her name before – at least, enjoyed it in the sense that they truly liked it, and didn't want to make fun of it.

And it could go with the relief that she felt at not being named "Dorothea Diana"...

At least her parents had been granted, gifted and offered the chance to be able to read; it meant that they could pick and choose actual names from the things that they read. They weren't stuck, like names of those unfortunates who simply picked words they liked from the Bible and named their children that, without understanding what the words said or meant.

And Niles obviously understood what he was getting into, and what he was saying when he said her name was lovely. Even if it really wasn't.

"Well, I suppose I have to thank you for that," she said, feeling a warmth coming to her cheeks. She had to duck away – she couldn't let him see that she was affected; it wasn't her place. "Not a lot of people truly enjoy my name. And you can safely bet that I count myself amongst them...!"

Very safely, she thought. But she wasn't about to stretch as far as explaining how much. She didn't want to completely ruin the prince's day, when the rest of it had already been long, tiring and full of work as it was!

If he dropped it, now knowing that she had told him she didn't like it, she might have felt a little bit more comfortable. But, as it was, Niles did not let go of the subject. He just couldn't do it – how could such a beautiful, accomplished, strong woman think so very little about herself? It just didn't make sense to him!

She had a name that was just as gorgeous as she was, in his mind. As bright, as pleasing to the eye and ear, and as wonderful. And if he had to prove it to her again, then he would. He couldn't stand to listen to her saying such things for much longer!

"I don't understand why!" he couldn't help chuckling back. "Your name is truly special – unique, and poetic! Your parents made a bold and brilliant selection, in choosing your name..."

"Bold, I agree with. Special...not so much," C.C. said, gulping down a bit of her wine. "I suppose my parents and I have different tastes where naming is concerned."

And that was an understatement, C.C. added to herself.

Still, there was no sense in making a world out of a minor issue. She'd learnt to live with her name and, at the end of the day, she had to treasure the one thing her parents had given her that would forever remain with her. It was what it was, and she had to bite the proverbial bullet and accept it.

She could, after all, be worse off. Namely, six feet under and rotting away.

"It's often the case when children resent the judgement of their parents," Niles replied, he himself following suit and gulping down some of his wine. "I know I did – still do, sometimes."

C.C. raised an eyebrow in a wordless question.

"I am ashamed to admit this, but I have disregarded my mother's advice many a time," admitted the prince, "Though I now see the error in my ways."

C.C. thought that she might have let her eyebrow return to its natural position, if it weren't for that statement. Instead, it stayed where it was of its own accord.

She didn't think she'd ever heard a man say that in her entire life. Noble men – and she supposed it could be doubly true for princes – rarely ever admitted when they were wrong. Especially if the person they had been up against was their own mother!

Underneath the layer of shock at such a thing even happening, it was refreshing. And...relieving. It said to her that Prince Niles really was as good a man as he seemed to be becoming. He could admit to his faults, instead of clinging to them and declaring everybody else wrong.

That would make him a good king. He'd seek advice from the people who knew, instead of ruling like a tyrant. She'd be proud to serve him, when that happened. And she'd be dutiful to the princess or duchess or non-disgraced lady that eventually became his bride. It wasn't as though it wouldn't hurt, but she'd keep that to herself.

The thought helped her eyebrow descend, anyway, as she let a small smile come to her face. It took a moment.

"I am glad," she told him. "And I'm sure Her Majesty will also be glad to know about your change of heart."

She thought he saw his chest inflate a little with pride, and couldn't help a wave of affection (as much as she tried, to keep her own heart from the hurt it would only end up feeling) at knowing he was so happy to know his mother would be pleased. The lords and nobles he'd tried to emulate would never have given a toss about what their mother thought.

They only cared about being like their fathers, and none of them were worth being like at all. Only her father had held that honour. It had died with him. Though it wasn't as though the notion had exactly been widespread and strong before the plague had come...

But it was no matter. She didn't want to spoil the evening by thinking too deeply on the past, when the present was a time she knew she could enjoy. Soon, she'd be back to serving Queen Marie, and she'd have to return to the mostly-humdrum and definitely-ordinary days of her life. Tonight was different – she was dining with a prince, and that was something she'd always be able to remember.

Once-in-a-lifetime occurrences always stuck with her.

"It was...a long time coming," Niles replied with a smile. "I never realised it could feel so good, but now I would never dream of anything else. And in my mind, that deserves a celebration..."

He reached over, grabbing at another bottle of wine and preparing to remove the cork.

"More to drink? We are eating and being merry, after all – the three usually go hand in hand..."

C.C. hesitated. Did she really want more? She wasn't exactly used to imbibing since her father had seldom allowed her to try alcohol. She'd never drunk more than two glasses of wine (and she'd already had two tonight) so did she dare to go for a third one?

It wouldn't do her too much harm, would it?

Besides, it wasn't like her parents were there to stop her, were they? She was a self-sufficient adult, and as such she was entitled to make her own decisions. She could have more delicious wine if she so chose! She knew how to conduct herself around royals, and declining more wine would put a damper (or worse, an early end) to the evening. And she certainly did not want that.

"Please," she said with a smile, passing over her cup, which was soon filled to the brim with heady wine. The smell alone was making her head spin, and if she was being honest, she rather liked the feeling.

It was a good feeling. Far better than anything she'd been thinking about before. It was very easy to forget about all sorts of worries while the powerful, intoxicating perfume of the drink was dancing through her mind; duty, her place and his, how everything would be over by sunrise...

Whether any of it was fair or not...

The drink made it all go away. The more they drank and the more they talked, the more it felt like the night wasn't moving past, even if it was and they'd truly been there, eating and talking and laughing, for hours. Everything felt like it could last longer, with every sip that she took. It was as though she were becoming just that little bit more invincible.

And Niles seemed as though he were just that little bit more charming...she wanted to say so, too, but she knew that she couldn't do that...

She was on the cusp of not knowing it (or at least not remembering), but she held her tongue while she was still just about sensible. Besides, she'd be interrupting his funny story.

Or, as much of it as he could tell while the wine was making its way through his veins.

"An'...an' then, I got down from the horse and I was about to...to ask this farmer if I was on the right road to get to...to...Canterbury! Yes, Canterbury. But then, he says to me..."

It was getting harder to hold it in with every passing moment. The wine kept flowing and she swore that his eyes looked more like a bright summer sky every time she looked up...

And his smile... boy, was it charming! She observed him laugh in awe, all the while smiling adoringly at him. She didn't remember the last time she'd let herself show just how much she cared about him, but right then she could bring herself to pretend anymore. Restraint and demureness had gotten the (temporary) heave-ho; she only wanted to enjoy from this evening, especially when she was sure it would never happen again. Not like this.

Not with hi—

"C.C.?"

Her name being called by the prince brought her out of her reverie. She couldn't really say when it had happened, but the prince had at some point gotten to his feet and was now stood next to her, a hand outstretched her way.

Was...was he inviting her to come with him? Where to? And why?

"Sir?" she rasped out, eyes locked with his.

"I asked if you would like to dance with me..."

As he spoke those words, her imagination was suddenly unfettered. She could almost see what would follow if she took his hand. They would dance and sing and maybe laugh the night away and then... well... if he followed his usual pattern (according to the stories the other maids had told her), things would soon be moved to his private rooms. She'd have once resented this, perhaps, but tonight she simply couldn't care less.

She...well...actually, she found that she did not completely resent the idea. It was more like she was warming up to it. After all, her life would be one of solitude. Would...would it really be so wrong to let a man – and this man in particular – claim her?

It went against everything she'd been taught and the values her parents had so tirelessly drilled into her, but again, she couldn't bring herself to care. He...he was the one man she'd be willing to give herself to, even if for a brief instant. She had no claim over his heart in the long run (a stupid royal princess would fill in for that role, not her), but she would treasure the moments they were together.

So, without really giving it a second thought, she took his hand.

"I...yes, I would like that...very much..."

There wasn't any point in keeping him waiting. And there were far worse ways for...things...to happen, than letting him simply do what he always did.

She tried not to wonder how many other girls he'd invited to dance first (wanting at least something to be special, so he might remember their night in the future, over at least some of the others), before the pattern repeated itself, and let herself be escorted by him to his rooms or, if he was feeling impatient, to a clear space on the dining room floor.

They had no bards, musicians, or any form of rhythm-maker other than the occasional beat-like crackle that came from the fire. But it was better than nothing at all. If she weren't at least a little bit preoccupied, she might have even thought that any dancing with Niles, whether silent or played along to by a whole orchestra, was perfect just as it was.

If it was all she'd ever get, she'd take it just as it was.

It wasn't like anybody would ever ask her about it later, anyway. Spinster servants who had thrown all their prospects away were rarely subjects of interest in...well, anything...

She very nearly giggled at the idea of such a thought explaining why Prudence acted as she did. And then she very much hoped that she would not turn out like Prudence, in her later years...

"Have you danced a lot before?"

The question snapped her out of her Prudence-related thoughts, directly back to Niles and the present moment.

The present moment being in his hold. Ready to begin the lead-up to the only night she'd ever spend with him, or any man.

It wasn't like she'd ever marry. Not when she had so little to her name. No husband would ever complain or demand to know why she hadn't been saved for him. She'd go about her life alone and that would be that. She could more than accept and live with it – she'd learn to embrace it, over the years.

She'd been lonely since her family had gone. She knew how to bear that pain.

That, combined with enough wine to stun a horse, led her to throw whatever caution she had left straight to the wind.

So, as they slowly began to dance, she tried her hardest to be like how she'd seen other girls behaving around the prince. They were confident, fun, and clearly ready for whatever happened next. They knew how to flirt and they weren't afraid to do it, if they wanted someone.

She had to try and be that way, too.

"I did, when I was younger," she told him, letting him lead. He was good – maybe he'd make her only time good, too. "Not so much, anymore."

Niles quirked an eyebrow, "You have no wish to?"

C.C. chuckled, and tried not to stumble on the floor. It was bad enough she hadn't done anything before, he especially wasn't going to want a clumsy, inexperienced girl.

"No...no real time. I only ever went to one ball, but I got a lot of practice when I was younger. My parents loved to host parties – that was where I got the time to dance..."

She didn't know what was wrong, but even explaining that hurt deeply in her chest. So much so, she didn't know if she could breathe.

She had to continue, though. She couldn't let this get in the way of the one night she had always been told would be unlike any other she'd ever have. She wouldn't get it again! If she had to be alone, she wanted to be able pretend, for one night, that she wasn't going to be...

But the image of her parents flashed in her mind, and all she could think of was them, her body starting to slow down and cease to dance.

"My mother...she always liked dressing me up for house dinners...to prepare me for their popular soirées...my father helped prepare me, too...when I was little, I used to dance on his shoes...!"

That was when she crumbled, starting to dissolve into tears, complete with the soft, quiet sobs of a daughter still deeply in mourning. A daughter who'd never had time to mourn, and who missed time with her parents, more than anything in the world.

And Niles was suddenly set into panicking.

This wasn't the way he'd meant for the evening to go! He'd wanted to dance, and laugh, and see C.C. smile some more – she'd probably had too much to drink; as much as him, but she clearly couldn't hold it like he could!

What was he going to do?! He wasn't accustomed to seeing people cry so much! Drunk or not, people were usually happy, or at least calm, when he was around! He couldn't just stand there, looking and acting useless! He had to do something – he couldn't let his friend just suffer and sob like she was!

Taking an uneasy step forward, he tried to reach out to her.

"Oh, C.C...! C.C., it's alright...!"

He felt clumsy as he spoke. Inadequate. He knew it wasn't alright for her, and it probably wouldn't be alright for a long time, so him saying that it would be okay was, to some extent, lying. He didn't want to be untrue. Not to her. But what else could he say? He had no words to offer and no way to take away her pain. He would if he could. God knows he'd give it all to make her happy.

But he was just a man. Royal, yes, but a man, nonetheless.

He had little experience with consoling women (he was used to being the one causing the crying in fact), but he supposed a good first step was holding her. Women liked that, didn't they? Being held in a safe embrace...

He didn't think he'd ever hugged a woman before (apart from his mother, of course) but he was nothing if daring; he would honour the saying "You'll never know what you can do until you try".

Very gently, he wrapped his arms around the crying lady and pulled her frail figure to him. She felt delicate in his embrace. Small. He didn't want to break her, but one wrong move and she'd crumble into dust right before his eyes. He'd never hated the look of tears so much, as when he realised that they could visit and cling to such a delicate face, staying as proof of the heart-wrenching turmoil going on in her chest. They were soon falling on his chest too, wetting his clothes and soaking them with a sadness his body had never produced.

But it was a small price to pay, to see and know that he was giving C.C. all the comfort she could manage. It was all the comfort he could manage, too, and he wanted the experience – as unexpected and panic-inducing as it was. In a way, it showed her she could still get what she needed, when she needed it given to her.

And he was determined to be the one to give her what she needed. He'd never been so sure of anything in his life, which might have once terrified him, but now...now it was all just part of being a friend.

And, even in between her sobs, the part of C.C. that was struggling to fight for sobriety acknowledged and appreciated the comfort. It unfortunately just happened to be overwhelmed by the part giving into the alcohol, which was determined to stay in its state of misery.

"I just...I just miss them so much...!"

Niles hugged her just a little tighter, heart breaking for the poor woman. Of course she missed her family! He couldn't imagine what it'd be like to be alone in the world and have no one to run to when the day was done.

Well...she did have someone to go to. He...he'd be there for her. He'd promised to himself he would help her out, hadn't he?

Still, he hadn't told her about any of his plans to help. Mainly because he'd wanted to delay having to find her a husband since he knew that, the moment he did so, their friendship would be interrupted, and she'd have to attend to her duties as wife and mother. The thought of her in the arms of another man still burned him deeply, but what other choice did he have? He'd have to learn to live with it.

The second reason he hadn't told her about his plan to help was, naturally, the fire. He'd been so busy that he'd hardly had time to leave his office, let alone have a long, meaningful conversation with Lady Babcock. It had simply slipped his mind.

But maybe... maybe now was the time to tell her. Let her known that, even if she now fell alone, it would not be forever. Not if it was up to him.

"I know you miss them, C.C.," he said, "But I promise you, I will make sure you don't feel alone again. I...I want you to be happy."

She pulled away from his chest then, blinking those beautiful, mournful blue eyes up at him. The glow of the fire made the tears glisten in their corners, but the brightness in the rest of them spoke of a hope she hadn't had before.

"Really...?"

Even if it pained him deeply, he forced his way through it to nod a reply.

"Yes...I...I'll do whatever that takes. I'll find you someone. A proper husband! I'll pay your dowry...! He'll be a good man, nothing less, and he'll love you..."

He was almost on the floor by the time he'd finished saying that, it all hurt so much. She was pulling at his heart and his senses were all out of control, even as she stood there listening to him. She was beyond compare, and it was making the words stick in his mouth and his tongue tripped over itself as he tried to finish.

"I...I won't let you be with someone...someone who doesn't...doesn't love y..."

He couldn't take it anymore. It was all too much. Not even letting himself finish, he pulled her back into his arms and let his lips press themselves to hers. There was a yelp of surprise from her at first, but it didn't take long for either to melt into it. Her body fit snugly against his, and his arms were strong and protective around her waist and lower back. Her hand fumbled, but eventually found its inexperienced way to his cheek, where it found a comfortable resting place. The other made itself comfortable around his shoulders, where it had been before, when they were dancing.

And all thoughts of suitors and dowries and other things like that were gone. They were replaced with...nothing. At least, nothing of this world – instead, it was only the two of them, held in one embrace among the stars. There were no other people. Nothing else mattered, apart from the feeling of lips that seemed as though they had been made to fit his, and a slight-but-growing thought of what else about her had been made to fit him...

That thought snapped him back to reality, with an anger, a sense of shock and surprise – all directed at himself.

It was so great, he pulled out of the kiss immediately.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

He ducked away from her, ashamed of himself to the point of mortification and not wanting to see any sign of an angry or hurt expression on her face. He'd earned whatever ire she'd give, but he still couldn't bear the thought of it.

What had he been thinking?! What had he just done?! Lady Babcock was vulnerable right then! She was drunk on the wine! Why the hell had he thought that anything of what had just happened had been a good idea?!

God, how had he just suddenly become so stupid?! This wasn't right! She deserved so much more than to be taken advantage of, like he just had! What kind of a cad was he, that he'd not been able to help himself?! Had he not been able to help himself, or was that an excuse he was using to make it all seem alright?!

He couldn't tell. All he could do was just keep apologising for taking her choice away, as though it were only his decision to make.

"Lady Babcock – C.C.! Please, forgive me! I...I don't know what I was thin––"

"Niles!" her voice, shaking as though she'd made up her mind about a difficult and scary but necessary decision, cut straight across his attempts at saying sorry. "It's...it's alright..."

He shook his head again, more desperately this time, "No, it isn't alright! I shouldn't have done that. Not when you're...you mean so much more to me than some...half-drunken taking advantage! I don't want to ruin what we have. You're...you're special to me, and I don't want that to go away...!"

He'd pushed so many people away already with his behaviour... he didn't want this to be the latest link in a long chain of disappointments. He'd let plenty of women down before – some he regretted, some he honestly didn't, but the one person he simply couldn't abide letting down, was Lady Babcock.

She was kind, smart, fun to be around, she took an interest in his general wellbeing even when there was nothing in it for her... he couldn't in good conscience throw away the one good relationship he'd ever had with a member of the opposite sex.

Yes, he would give everything he had to take her to his bed and pleasure her like he'd never pleasured any other woman before. But, was it worth it? Ruining her one chance at happiness for one night of pleasure? He didn't believe it to be fair to her, least when she was too intoxicated to even consent to the act.

No, he had to pull himself together. He had to put her future and happiness first. She was not some common slut to use one time and then throw her to the curb. She was his friend, and friends took care of one another, even if letting her go to another man was making his heart ache.

"I...I am sorry," he repeated, not quite managing to look at her in the eye. "My behaviour was distasteful and disgraceful. I...I completely understand if you do not wish to associate with me any longer – I will arrange for a carriage to take you back to Whitehall, if you so desire. But please, do forgive me."

C.C. nearly stumbled, but managed to keep her feet planted firmly where they were.

He...he wanted forgiveness? Not to...to claim her? Because she was special?

She almost considered asking why he thought she was, but decided that maybe it was a question better left far away from any conversation they'd ever have. She couldn't imagine why he might think it, and it was probably for the best that she didn't try to find out. That was for his comfort, as well as her own. He already looked as though he felt awful enough, without having to explain himself.

Not that he even had to explain himself now! He hadn't done anything that needed apologising for! The kiss had been...well, it had been a surprise, but she had enjoyed it! She'd felt...warm. Safe. She hadn't truly felt either of those things in a long time – not since she'd been forced out of her home and into a little bedroom in the lowest floors of the palace...

He'd made her feel like she was home again. Even if only for a little while, and there would never be a second time.

He didn't need forgiveness for that. He needed thanking.

Closing the gap in the floor that he'd made, C.C. stepped forward and took his hands in hers.

"There's nothing to forgive...and I don't want to go anywhere. I...you're special to me, too..."

The prince's eyes widened, almost as if he were in disbelief. His expression was rather comical, really (that was probably the alcohol speaking) but she made an effort to not laugh at him. She knew it wouldn't be appreciated. No, they had to tread carefully through this new territory and perhaps dance around the elephant in the room.

After all, this night wouldn't matter, morning come. Some things were better left unsaid, otherwise they risked opening a Pandora's box that could very well bring about pain and grief in equal measure. No, they had to enjoy the moment and not think about the implications.

She didn't wish to ponder over why he didn't want to bed her, or why he considered her different or special. She wanted him, for as long as she could have him. And that, she knew, would be until sunrise. Probably sooner, if either of them fell asleep.

"Come," she said to him with borrowed confidence, tugging at his hand, "Enough dancing for tonight. Let us rest on the sofa – I would be most pleased to hear more of my lord's stories."

As long as he had stories to tell, she had a fighting chance of prolonging everything. She knew that her chance now of ever being with a man had gone – it had vanished when he'd told her that wasn't what he wanted, from their evening or perhaps even entirely. But she could still pretend that they had something that could remain close to both of their hearts, not just hers.

She'd need it, in the years to come. When she was older, working her job to earn what money she could, living her life as though nothing was wrong and going to bed alone at night. It might be cold, sometimes. But a lonely life still had purpose. And she thought that maybe she could be on the cusp of finding the lonely woman she was destined to be.

Thinking it more was starting to make it hurt less.

But she didn't even have to do that, right then. She very easily distracted herself by getting them both out of the dining room and into the little salon, where the most comfortable seat in the lodge was kept.

Niles wasn't sure about any of it. Could she really just be dismissing everything that he'd done? Had been about to do? How could she forget about it, without any need for forgiveness, when he could have put her in an awful position without even thinking?

He tried to ask her this, "C.C., are you completely sure––"

"There's nothing more to discuss," her voice cut across his, somehow both gentle and final at the same time. But then...then, it turned sad. "Let's just...enjoy the night."

Enjoy the night. That sounded like a good idea, even if everything that had happened before had been so wrong, it had spoiled it. He'd ruined whatever it was that they'd had, without a doubt, but the idea of trying to salvage what could be salvaged seemed reasonable, in his mind.

He'd use the night to make it up to her, however he could. And maybe he'd end up enjoying the night as well, if she was...

That was why, as they came to the little sofa and seated themselves so they relaxed into it, he didn't mind her snuggling against his side. Well, he sort of minded, in that it hurt beyond belief to know that the next man she'd do that with (and so much more), would be her husband.

But he had to put on a brave face, and try to enjoy what he could. One day, yes, she would be in her own home, embracing her husband and laughing at his stories. But, just for that night, it was him. It was his stories she wanted to hear, and it was his side that she felt warm and comfortable against.

He had to let go. And that would come easier as he distracted himself with a story.

"There was...one occasion, when I was much younger, that I got separated from a hunting party in the New Forest..."

* * *

The fire had died out in the hearth by the time Niles woke up. Only a small heap of ashes and unburnt charcoal remained, lonesome in their stony casement and a blackened testament of the time that had gone by, like sand being sifted through a young maiden's fingers.

He glanced over at the window and found that the moon was still up in the sky, occupying pride of place. It had slivered down to a thin shard from the last time he'd actually taken the time to look at it; for some reason, he felt it was a rather ominous omen signalling his time with Lady Babcock was coming to an end.

And speaking of which, he was mildly surprised to find that the lady in question had dozed off against him, golden head nestled in the crook of his neck. They were cuddled up in an almost... _intimate_ fashion, the prince thought. Some would deem this inappropriate, but he couldn't bring himself to care one whit about what some naysayers would have said or thought about them. He couldn't recall when either of them had succumbed to sleep, bur he reasoned they must have dozed off in quick succession. It made sense, considering the amount of food and liquor that had gone into their systems the night before.

Accompanying his memories of feasting and drinking also came rather mortifying images of his little slip with Lady Babcock. He could feel his cheeks reddening and an uncomfortable heat spreading across his body with unprecedented speed.

He had to get her out of there, fast. Again, she deserved better than to be gossiped about, even for innocently falling asleep next to him.

It wasn't like it was a crime, but the way it would be talked about if any of the servants saw...well, it was sufficient to say that he wanted to spare her any humiliation that could pop up out of nowhere to surprise them.

That was how he found himself slipping his arms underneath her and gently lifting. She didn't feel heavy to him, and he knew that there would be no trouble in carrying her through the lodge to her room.

But he did have to practically tear his imaginings in two when a mental image came up of a faceless but tall and well-muscled man carrying her bridal-style through the doors of a lavish country house.

It was still the night. It was still his time with her.

Even if it seemed to end far too soon, as he reached her door and slipped into the room before any servants who happened to be awake could see.

Her bed was the best place for her, and even if it was difficult to get her there, he managed a sort-of compromise that involved putting her down and wrapping her up in the blankets. No clothes were removed, apart from her shoes, and he stood back immediately after he was done.

She was just as much of an angel in her sleep as she was when she was awake...

She was going to make someone the happiest man on Earth, one day. And her life would be filled to the brim with so much love and joy that one dinner, a dance and a kiss with a prince would feel like nothing.

He hoped it wouldn't be nothing, but he couldn't guarantee it. That was just the way things were supposed to be.

"I...I hope that you remember this night," he said quietly, unable to help the frown that formed even at the idea of her forgetting. "I know I will."

He turned on his heel then, the ghost of her warm body lingering on his skin as he made his way out of her room and covered the distance to his own chambers. Within, he found a servant still awake; he was keeping the fire in his hearth alive, just as he'd been tasked with doing.

Because princes _absolutely_ couldn't go without a warm room for the night, right?

"Go and light up a fire in Lady Babcock's room," he barked at the man by way of dismissal. "I no longer require your services."

He barely paid attention to the servant's reply and bow, his mind still reeling from the events that bad transpired only hours ago. He didn't think he'd be able to sleep that night.

The best he could hope for, was a few short hours of lying in bed, reliving over and over again the glorious moments when he'd been able to call Lady Babcock his.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 12**

The carriage ride couldn't have ended soon enough, in Joseph's mind. Getting out of London after the devastating effects of the fire had been a good change of pace for the king. He was very eager to see his son, whom he hadn't spoken to for almost a month. Now that he had completely recuperated from his fall, the prince was due to help with the surveying of areas where the fire had spread, so it was time for him to leave the place that had kept him safe for so long.

Sending him to the lodge had been a brilliant idea – especially with that little piece of skirt, Lady Babcock, to keep his bed warmer than the flames at night. He hoped his boy had been a man and had done his duty by now. It would put an end to all the nonsense the two seemed to be going through – all those so-called "feelings" and "thoughtful moments"...!

He'd have scoffed over them, if he didn't then go straight into imagining getting his own turn on the girl. Perhaps two turns – he liked trying out the front and the back, and after the prince had been in her, it wasn't as though the girl could complain...

And it wasn't as though his wife was around out there to claim he was "interfering". His boy would have put an end to all that by doing what men did, anyway, so Joseph would be free to do the girl as he pleased.

That was another reason he was so eager to get out of the carriage. He practically threw open the door himself before the footman could do it, barely acknowledging the butler or the other servants as he marched into the lodge.

"Where is the boy? I know he wasn't told of my coming, but someone should have roused him by now..."

The swift footsteps behind him preceded the butler's answer, "His Royal Highness is still in his chambers, Your Majesty – he must have had a dreadfully long night working..."

Joseph immediately started to smirk. The only "working" he could imagine his boy doing was working up a sweat as he pounded into that fine piece of prime venison in every position God put on the Earth to put a man in charge.

He soon left the butler behind in his haste to share the story with Niles, laugh about it, and then get his own turns while Niles went off to see to his princely duties.

He barely stopped to wait for a "Come in" when he knocked on the door, bursting in…

To find his boy sat upright at a private writing desk, looking tired and miserable. He was fully clothed and his bed was made, too. There was no sign of the girl in between the sheets, naked or otherwise.

Joseph was struck by the confusion first, which soon developed into annoyance. What the devil had happened?! Had his boy really let him down once more, over a girl?! And a girl he'd had alone in a lodge, too far to walk from the nearest village, let alone something that could be deemed actual civilisation!

There was nothing simpler than taking what he wanted, yet he was alone in his room and had clearly not gotten the thing that every man was entitled to and every woman had to give up when she was told!

This was his mother's fault. She was making him soft. She had caused their son to no longer be a stallion, like he'd taught him to be. Years' worth of hard work had been thrown out the window thanks to his wife's ridiculous notions, and although his hands were, to some extent, tied, he was not going to simply stand there and let this travesty unravel.

If Niles didn't know the difference between whores and proper wives, it would be up to him to show him the way. He'd done it once, so he could very well do it again if he had to. His boy was his best and most beloved project. He wouldn't have it ruined by the silly notions of his bird-brained wife.

"Hello, son," he said to the prince, coming to seat on the chair opposite his desk. "Long night I take?"

Niles nodded as he rubbed his tired face. He had no idea what his father would want from him, but as always his timing was rather inconvenient. He was still trying to recover from a night of basically no sleep and plenty of heartache, just like Lady Babcock was sleeping her own hangover off. His servants had said she hadn't been able to keep her breakfast down that morning, so he'd left her to sleep for as long as she needed.

"Quite so, father," groaned the prince, "Lady Babcock and I imbibed last night while having dinner together and I didn't get enough rest as it is."

His explanation, along with all the implications therein, felt like a slap in the face to Joseph. And, like any time someone ever hurt or shocked him, Joseph's only reaction to it was to get angry.

"D-dinner...?!" he stammered, disbelief and rage permeating his tone. "You had _dinner_ with that girl?!"

Niles wiped his eyes tiredly again, "If that is still the term for an evening meal, then yes."

"Don't get clever with me, boy," Joseph snapped, standing up and storming around to stand close to his son. "Especially when you've already insulted me by throwing back everything I've ever taught you, directly in my face! You were drinking with the girl, you said?"

"Yes."

"Was she drunk by the end of it?"

"Yes..."

"Then why the hell didn't you act like a man and have her?!" Joseph shouted. "Men take what they want, when they want it! If it's a challenge, we keep going until the bitch gives in! But it wasn't even a challenge for you! You were set up for the easiest fuck in history, and yet you still managed to miss your chance!"

What happened next was the quickest Niles had moved all morning, as he leapt up from his seat to match his father's height.

A fire was burning in his heart, and he was more than sure of the cause.

"Don't say that about her!" he snarled. "She is not an easy fuck, she is my friend! And I'm doing everything I can to help her – I'm going to find her a husband, to start off with! He'll be a good man, who'll treat her like she deserves, and she won't have to worry about any kind of dowry because I'll pay it myself!"

Joseph staggered a few steps, the confusion, anger and now horror all returning.

His...his boy...was going to help that common whore find a husband?! And pay the dowry himself?!

What the hell did he think he was playing at?! What gentleman in his right mind would take that girl for anything other than a good time, then toss her to the curb once he was done?! No one would pay a dowry for that and Niles paying it himself was the worst possible idea he had ever heard!

The boy wasn't thinking straight! It was one thing not to have had the girl in several different positions already, but it was another thing entirely to think that she could be scraped up from the dirt she'd been thrown into, paid for with money from the royal coffers, and put back into polite society!

Whores were not wives. He had to see that, and the sooner Joseph got him married to a proper woman, the better. In the meantime, he could be using the money he wanted to sell off the meat with to pay for the whore to get down on her knees.

This whole thing definitely was his wife's fault. And his, too, for having allowed things to get this far. He should have put his foot down and given his son an earful for behaving in such an unmanly fashion. After such a long and eventful life, Joseph wasn't about to let his own son ridicule him – he hadn't raised a sissy! He'd sired a man, and a man his son would be, whether he liked it or not.

But the time for that wasn't now. He wouldn't argue with the lad any longer. Both had busy schedules to see to as it was, and quite honestly, he wanted to stop talking about that blasted whore. If Niles wanted to sell her to the highest bidder, then so be it. But he was a fool if he thought any potential buyer would get the whore in order to "love" her or "treat her right". She was prime meat, untried as of yet, and prettier than most women of the realm. She'd be bought to be paraded around at parties and fucked in private. Love was seldom involved in marriages, in his experience.

"Bah," Joseph scoffed, returning to his chair and slumping in it, "This is your mother's fault – she's softened you. Do as you please, boy, but mark my words: you will regret not having fucked that thing when you had the chance. And mind you, if you plan on marrying her off, the dowry will come out of _your_ finances. I am not paying for some whore's return to polite society."

Niles thought that next instant was as close as he'd ever come to punching his father. Every word that was coming from his mouth was untrue bile, and he wanted to stop it coming out in the fastest way possible.

But he knew that couldn't happen. His father might've been older, but he wouldn't hesitate to throw a return punch, or find some even worse way to make Niles' life hell as punishment for insolence. He couldn't risk it, especially when it might put Lady Babcock at risk – it wouldn't be unlike his father to use someone he cared about as a whipping boy.

Or woman, in this case...

"She is not a whore, but fine," he spat. "The money will come from my own personal coffers – I make enough off of the Duchy of Cornwall anyway."

He was sure his father would've made some further derogatory reference about what that money could have been spent on, but Niles wasn't about to hear it. Instead, he continued, "But I suppose you have some other reason for seeing me, other than to discuss the things I do for my friends?"

Joseph had to grit his teeth at the mention of that slut being his son's friend. Women and men could never be friends! When would the boy understand that women were inferior to men? Two beings of unequal standing in creation could get along, yes, but they simply couldn't be friends.

The quicker Niles got his ideas about women and what place they ought to occupy straight, the better. And he'd make damn sure he did.

"You are correct in your assumption, lad," replied the King as he gestured for one of the servants to come over. "I have come to entrust you with a task."

He then turned to the servant and barked out his order, "Wine, now."

"A task?" asked the Prince , not exactly happy about the way his father had addressed his footman. "And what would that task be?"

Joseph almost looked completely distracted as he watched the footman hurry away to fetch what would no doubt be the best bottle of wine in the lodge (whatever was left of it, anyway), but eventually he must have been satisfied that the man was leaving as quickly as he could to fetch the drink because he turned back to his son.

Over the years and from experience of listening to a court full of men arguing, he'd also developed the skill of being able to pay attention to more than one thing at once, so he had actually listened to what Niles had asked.

"Surveying the lands that were damaged from the fire," he said, reclining in his chair and his eyes still occasionally darting back to the place where they both knew the servant would reappear. "Many people will be counting on it, to know what will be done about...whatever it is that they have lost."

Niles didn't like the flippant tone of the last part much more than he enjoyed his father's assessment of C.––_Lady Babcock_. He didn't feel comfortable calling her by her name anymore. How could he, after showing such a blatant lack of respect for her the night before? Friends deserved better than that!

So, she'd be her current name, until she was married. And...and when she was, she'd...take her husband's name. As simple as anything, when it didn't stick in his throat.

To distract himself from the choking and the ache, he took himself back to the matter at hand. And for the king to seem as though he was giving no thought or care to the loss of life, homes and livelihoods in their biggest city, with no food, water or shelter...it all set a very bad precedent.

More than a bad precedent. It was as though...well, as though Joseph didn't care at all for his own people!

But he couldn't make such a bold accusation over one statement, and he wasn't about to argue with his father twice in one day. He was going to agree. It was all part of his duty to carry out the surveys, whether or not it sounded like his father cared about them.

"Fair enough," said the Prince, "When will I be leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning. I have taken the liberty of getting you new equipment, clothes and supplies for the trip, as well as a new horse."

Niles nearly jumped out of his chair upon hearing this. Tomorrow?! He was to leave _tomorrow_?! He hadn't been expecting this, and there were many tasks he had yet to complete before going. Letters required answering, diagrams had to be reviewed and he had to let the members of his committee that he'd be away for a period of time!

Again, Niles wished he could punch his father. He couldn't just spring this on him! He had a titanic workload that needed seeing to – he just couldn't get up and go, leaving loose ends behind!

However (and much to his disappointment), whatever his father said, had to go, whether he liked it or not. He'd have to spend his last day at the lodge trying to complete as many tasks as possible before leaving.

The word struck him as being more powerful and having more impact this time. And it didn't take long for him to realise why.

He was leaving.

Leaving...leaving Lady Babcock behind, no doubt to see out the rest of her stay by herself...

He didn't want to have to leave, or to look out for a job that didn't involve her being there, waiting and helping him to sort through all the important papers and to make decisions about what he needed.

He didn't want to have to leave that behind! He was going to…well… he was going to miss her! Everything about her was something that pleased him and in turn, it was something that he would miss when leaving her behind, from her beautiful smile and sharp wit to the swift putting down she gave to anybody who spoke out of place.

She'd be fantastic to have on the journey, if the idea was given any thought whatsoever. She'd be as devoted a surveyor as ever there was, he just knew it, and no one would ever dare argue with the corrections she made and the conclusions she came to!

But he knew even asking his father if he could bring her with him was a form of verbal suicide. This whole conversation building up to it had been proof of that.

"Alright," he almost spoke through gritted teeth. He knew he had no other choice than to do as his father said, nothing more and nothing less. "Then I'll prepare for my journey."

And that was going to involve telling Lady Babcock about all of this. Well, he'd leave out the disgusting details that his father had insisted were the only way he'd ever learn to be a man, but he would tell her that he had to go.

He didn't want to tell her that he had to go. He wanted to finish his work, take walks in the countryside and have picnics, like they had done before. It was going to be an awful thing for her to wake up and hear, especially after feeling so bad from all the drinking.

The thought of telling her, as miserable and as sick as she already felt, sent guilt creeping through his insides like a spreading virus. But what other choice did he have? The later he left telling her, the less time they both had to get used to the idea. And he couldn't abide the thought of not telling her at all – he didn't want to make her feel like she wasn't even worth telling! How abandoned and unwanted would that make her feel?

He'd done that to women before – left them there, sleeping, while he snuck out and went off, never telling them or giving them an explanation. He'd thought himself some great lover and a hero among men for scratching yet another notch into his bedpost...

But he wouldn't do that to her. He'd never use her or hurt her. She deserved better than a womanizing cad of a prince. He was trying to be better for her, but he doubted it would ever be enough. He could only live in hope that when he'd finally found her a worthy husband, she'd want to remain his friend. Maybe even make him the godfather of one of her golden-haired children, if he was lucky.

Still, it was all wishful thinking.

It was lucky that the servant chose that moment to return carrying two cups of wine – Niles needed something to take the edge off, and Joseph was getting moody without his alcohol. They both gulped down their cups in one go and lowered their empty goblets on the table with a thud.

Niles couldn't help but notice just how alike they were, both in mannerisms and physical appearance, but maybe for the first time in his life, he felt repulsed by his resemblance to his father. He was starting to see a side of him that he didn't like and he wasn't sure how to deal with it. Having idolised the man for practically all his life, finally seeing his flaws was jarring, to say the least.

"I absolutely needed that," said Joseph, patting his stomach. "Wine, food and women are the holy trinity of pleasures, right boy?"

"Whatever you say, father," replied the prince, trying to disguise the contempt in his voice. He couldn't understand how, having his beautiful mother waiting at home, he strayed. Marie was too good for him, and Niles was starting to see just how cruel he'd been to his mother.

"I do say. And I am king; what I say goes. So," the king announced with a concluding air, bringing his hands together and rubbing them like he was preparing them, or warming them up. "I've had my wine, and I am still full from a hearty breakfast. There's only one pleasure left to satisfy..."

Niles felt his stomach give a turn. He knew exactly what his father was about to say, but for the first time, he didn't feel like laughing or grinning, or counting his money to make sure he had enough to go as well.

He actually felt like closing his eyes and waiting for it all to be over, as his father rose from his chair and finished what he wanted to say.

"I'm finding the nearest brothel and taking care of it as many times as I care to. I'll go through every girl they have and back again, if that's what it takes," he began his walk to the door, stopping as he got to it, to look over his shoulder and smirk at Niles. "I know how to behave like a real man. If you want to learn, I'd suggest coming along."

Apart from the overwhelming need to vomit, all Niles could think to spit back was that all he'd learn to do was not sleep, if he saw his father naked and taking a woman.

But he held back the venom on his tongue. He'd rather his father left (even if it was to go somewhere he'd hurt and humiliate his wife – Niles couldn't prevent that), than stayed for another argument.

"No, I must...stay and prepare for tomorrow. There is much to be done."

The king didn't have to know that that meant spending the rest of the morning trying to work out how he'd tell Lady Babcock that he was going. Granted, he'd do what he could to get as much work as he could finished as well, but his mind was currently filling up with ideas as to how he'd break the news.

None of them seemed adequate, if he was perfectly honest. But he had time, still, to give it a better thought. He needed to make it the best explanation that anybody ever gave to anybody else.

For what was going to happen, he needed to be good. And he had to keep his cool about it, in case his father acted the way he usually did.

Not that he was trying to drag his son away from the desk, towards the door. Perhaps he considered it – considered _Niles_ – a lost cause when it came to his beliefs. Niles didn't mind that anymore...

But Joseph huffed out a breath and shrugged, looking very much the epitome of a man who didn't care. It was almost ironic, having that thought, considering the king obviously didn't care about anything that was going on, really.

"Alright, suit yourself. Get yourself some satisfaction as a reward for all of your hard work, at the end of this," Joseph said. "I'm sure the girls will keep it warm for you, after I'm finished there..."

Niles didn't dignify his father's suggestion with an answer. Instead, he merely bowed his head to his father (he was, after all, his king) and went back to the papers he'd been reviewing before his unexpected (and very much unwanted) visit.

Joseph left in a huff and muttering something about "the boy not knowing a bloody thing". A few months ago Niles would have despaired in the face of parental rejection, but presently he didn't care what his father thought about him or how he carried himself in private. If he wanted to forfeit the company of a proper lady like his mother in favour of common sluts, then that was his choice. He'd much rather stay at home, where he could enjoy from Lady Babcock's company.

Only when he heard the front door being slammed shut did Niles dare look up from his work. He'd have usually walked his father to his carriage, but today he couldn't be bothered. He just wanted his father far away from him.

He had a lot to think about, and his presence simply wouldn't have helped.

Sighing, Niles pushed back his chair, got to his feet and began to pace around his room – it helped him think and gave his body something to do.

He had to think what to do, and how to explain what was going to happen. He needed a reason to go visit – he couldn't simply turn up to spring the news on her, like it was nothing at all.

A winning thought suddenly struck him, and he stopped pacing.

It had been a while since he'd checked on Lady Babcock, in her current condition. But that got him to thinking about everyone else in the lodge. Had anybody checked on her, before his father had arrived? What about after? They'd said that she hadn't been able to keep down any breakfast, so if nobody had seen to her, she didn't have anything in her, currently! She had to have been starving, by this stage – even if the drink had made her unable to keep it down.

He couldn't bear the thought of her lying there in pain, stomach empty, but unable to do anything about it...

That settled it, then. He'd try again to bring her some breakfast and he'd gently break the news while he was there. He saw no other way of doing things.

Turning on his heel, he hurried off towards the kitchen, leaving the work for later. He had food to prepare and a friend to see to.

* * *

Preparing a breakfast fit for a lady was easier said than done, but after being in the kitchen a little while and after a lot of staring at the ingredients that he'd put together, Niles thought he might have just managed it. He didn't know how long an egg should boil for (or how boiled Lady Babcock liked her eggs), but one had been prepared. He'd accompanied it with fresh bread from the ovens, fruits from the garden, cheese and meat from the night before. He'd also made a little bit of everything so she could pick at what she wanted, and he hoped with all of his heart that she wanted something – he wanted to have done well, and her rejecting any of it would feel like he'd failed her.

In truth, he already felt like he'd failed her. He'd made her feel like this in the first place, with his insistence on the wine...

And his guilt only grew tenfold, after he'd carried the tray laden with food up to her room, gently knocked on her door, called out to her, and gone in when there hadn't been a real, verbal reply.

"Lady Babcock...I thought you might...want some..."

He slowed to a halt when he realised where she was. At first, the room had appeared empty, but then he realised that there was a small lump moving underneath the bedsheets. And occasionally moaning, like it was going through the worst pain it had ever experienced...

That was when his heart wrenched, almost to the point of being completely crushed inwards. It was his fault she was suffering like this – he could have stopped the wine at any time, and yet he'd been so determined that they should both have fun...!

Neither one of them were having fun now, and he could only think about dropping the tray on the nearest solid surface and going to her side. Not holding her – as well as her condition, there were too many complicated reasons to do that, none of which he wanted to think about – but sitting with her until she felt better. Whenever that would be, considering the state his own stupid actions had put her in...

There was nowhere around to safely put down the tray, so he ended up carrying it to her bedside anyway. The table there was perfect for holding a large breakfast that had the chance of ending up there long enough to turn into an art feature.

It didn't look like Lady Babcock was going to want food any time soon. Her moving seemed even slower and more pitiable up close, with the groans sounding like every breath was an effort that came deep from her lungs and begged for it all to end...

"I...thought you might want something to eat..." he finished it off lightly, then gesturing awkwardly at the tray. "I didn't know what you might want so I sort of...got you everything. I-if you're feeling up to it, of course..."

He wouldn't make a fuss if she didn't feel up to it. He remembered from his own drinking how awful even trying to move afterwards was...

He'd felt like he wanted to die. It appeared as though Lady Babcock felt the same way. Not directed at him, perhaps (although he would agree without hesitation that it was his fault), but at herself for drinking.

With a noise coming from her throat that reminded him of an old, extremely heavy iron gate being opened, Lady Babcock pulled back enough of the sheets for him to see that she was, indeed, under there. The light, even with the curtains cutting out most of it, must have been searing straight through her eyes and into the part of her head that was being stomped on by whatever alcohol-flavoured demon that had taken up residence in there.

"I...am never drinking again," she vowed weakly.

Niles didn't know if that was true or not, or if it would hold if it was. He had promised himself the same thing many times and yet he had often woken up looking like Lady Babcock did, feeling as bad and definitely smelling worse.

He had always bounced back for more. But he would understand if she chose to be more careful – he sometimes wished that he had been, as well. All he could do now, though, was offer his expertise to be sure that Lady Babcock did not have to wish too hard in the future.

"I have things that might help," he said quietly, knowing the brain-dwelling wine imp would make things painful if he didn't. "I won't undo the curtains, either – would you like to eat something?"

He thought he heard Lady Babcock's lips smack together from under her sheets. But he knew she wouldn't be doing it in any sort of anticipation – likely, she was trying to get enough moisture back into her mouth to reply, or else feeling the strange sensation of what he could only describe as a kind of dry furry-ness, there on her tongue.

"I don't know..." her mutter would have been pathetic to some, it was heart-wrenching to him. "I feel...dry..."

Niles nodded, even if she couldn't see him. He understood what was going on all too well, and had prepared for the occasion.

"I have water here, taken from the well. It all comes from a nearby spring, so it's quite good..."

He didn't fully know why he was bothering to elaborate. Probably out of some sort of nervousness, or sense that he had to encourage her to try. He knew that, if it were him in that situation, he wouldn't care if the water had come from the purest spring, or if it had been taken from a puddle in the middle of a marketplace.

But, unlike him at the worst of his drinking, he knew that Lady Babcock would still have a sense of decency.

She hesitated for a moment, before one hand slipped slowly out from under the sheets and reached. Niles knew what she was after immediately and passed her the cup. He then waited and watched as she let the rest of the sheets move back some , so that she wasn't drinking underneath them.

He could only see her mostly in silhouette, but that didn't lessen the guilt any for him. She looked...well, he couldn't tell how pale or pallid she was, but her overall demeanour suggested that she felt weak enough to have had the colour drain from her body as well.

She barely had the strength to sit up while she took sips from the cup. It was almost as though doing that much was painful...

It was certainly painful to him.

"When you're ready, we can try some food," he said gently, not wanting to press too hard. "There's a little bit of everything in the house here, in case you wanted something specific."

The woman shook her head weakly. She was in no position to accept anything apart from water. The thought of food alone was enough to make her stomach churn and twist into tight knots!

She was a pitiful sight, C.C. thought to herself. Hadn't she been in such extreme physical pain, she'd have asked him to please leave and not worry. A prince was not supposed to look after a servant. It was the other way round.

But the thought of impropriety brought forward the memory of what had transpired the night before. And what the two of them had done – what she had done, was scandalous!

To cap it all she'd told the prince he was special to her. Could she get any more pathetic? She was not his equal. She couldn't and shouldn't have any sort of feelings for him! What on Earth had she been thinking when she'd entertained the idea of sleeping with him?! She knew that it wasn't her place; how could the alcohol have possibly made her that bold and stupid?!

The pain raging through her head was obviously a punishment for hubris. It would remind her not to even think about it again, or else face worse consequences. And real life, outside of her physical person, could definitely have worse consequences than this. Longer lasting ones.

She knew that she couldn't give up her maidenhood to him, simply because there wouldn't ever be anybody else. She'd been a fool to think that was enough of a reason. It was that kind of thinking that made people act on impulse, and only ended in disaster.

And it would've been a disaster – she'd have woken up, realising what had happened and probably regretted it instantly. Then, she'd have had to face the prince, who'd know that she was just the latest in his line and nothing truly special (even if he had said it), and there would have been some sort of awkward but finalising conversation, in which they silently agreed to never talk about it again.

Then he'd go on, probably having other women until he got married. And she'd just...go back to her everyday existence. She'd probably also lose a friend, because she doubted his future bride would like them being so close.

And she'd be alone, like she always seemed to end up.

Not that it mattered that she'd never be with anybody. She simply had to accept it. At her age, with no...experience...whatsoever, she was just lucky she wasn't seen as repulsive. She had her job. She had a place to live, good (if few) friends and guaranteed meals every day. That was more than some people got – what was the point in thinking about what other people were getting that she never would?

It was better to stop thinking about it. The idea that her future was exactly the same as her present hurt more than the hangover.

It would hurt every time she was reminded of it, too.

"Would you like me to get you a cold compress, Lady Babcock?"

The prince's question brought C.C. out of her gloomy thoughts. She could feel her brows knitting into a deep furrow – maybe she was being a little overdramatic. Yes, the prince had a history of being a self-serving cad, but he'd changed. She knew for a fact he had not taken any girls to his bed in the last few months and he done good by her at every turn.

Perhaps this oversentimentality was a result of a night of indulgence. Things would probably start to look up once she'd recovered. Still, maybe it had been for the best that she hadn't given him her maidenhood. It wouldn't have done their budding friendship any favours. She had to remember her place – she was a mere servant whose duty was to make the future king as happy as he could be, and she'd continue to do so until she was either instructed to stop or until (and she dreaded to even think about it) he decided she was no fun anymore.

She certainly hoped that day would never come.

"No, Your Royal Highness," C.C. said weakly, nodding her head as much as she possibly could in her current state. "I… I shall be alright. You don't have to trouble yourself with–"

"Please, Lady Babcock, it is no trouble," he insisted, smiling gently at her and daring to place what he hoped was a comforting hand on her back. "You wait here while I look for it, alright?"

She couldn't exactly do anything else, but she wasn't going to tell him that. He was being so kind about it, she wasn't going to meet that kindness with sarcasm, or any sharp form of retort that he didn't deserve.

He didn't deserve to be stuck having to look after her in this pathetic state, either, and yet he was. She had to make it up to him somehow, maybe another (alcohol-free-or-limited) dinner that she'd made, when she was well enough to sit up without wanting to vomit.

She wasn't going to tell him that part, either.

So, she just nodded again as best she could, "I...alright. Thank you..."

To many, it might have looked like a small amount of thanks for having a prince personally take care of you, but Niles had been in such states before and he could tell when a person in one truly meant what they were saying.

He heard that small amount of thanks and understood the depth of the gratitude contained therein.

And he wanted to do everything he could to earn that thanks. Lady Babcock deserved nothing but the best, in his mind, so he would spare nothing. Even if that meant cancelling what he had to do for most of the morning, in order to see to each and every thing that she needed.

But first, a nice, cold compress was in order.

He took his hand off her back, smiling once more, and went to the wash bowl. There was a cloth there, but the water had not been brought yet that morning – he needed to find some. Taking the cloth with him, the prince walked back to his own room, where he retrieved the porcelain pitcher his attendants had left for him when he'd woken up. He then placed the cloth inside his empty washbowl and poured a generous amount of water over it. He tried to be as careful as he could be and not spill it when he returned to her chambers, and save for a small mishap a few feet away from her door, the wash bowl arrived safe and sound at her bedside.

"Here we are," he announced in a low voice – he knew she'd appreciate the quiet in her current state. "Now, if her ladyship allows me to, I shall place the compress on your forehead."

C.C. couldn't help the small smile that played about her features. She'd been unfair to him earlier. He clearly had nothing to win here, and yet he was being as kind and caring as he could ever be by taking care of her in her time of need. They might not have a future together, but that didn't mean he'd be cruel to her.

Last night he had been anything but, really.

Again, she knew a maid like her had no place in a prince's heart, but could she be wrong about that, too? He'd said she was special to him and he'd kissed her – maybe her childish dreams were not exactly unfounded?

She rolled onto her back and spied at him through half-open eyes. From this vantage point she could tell that all the stories she'd heard about the prince's charm and good looks were correct – he really was a handsome man. Dashingly handsome. But, where his character was concerned, the gossipers had gotten it all wrong. He'd changed from a cruel, self-serving brute into a kind, pious man. She had no right to doubt his good intentions with her, especially when he'd been nothing but a gentleman around her, as of late.

Last night and his behaviour after their kiss was only further proof of this.

Part of her knew she was being silly, but maybe she could allow herself to daydream about him…well…loving her for who she was.

God, the notion sounded ridiculous even in her head, but she couldn't help what her heart desired. She wished she could reach up and kiss him, like they'd done the night before, but she was also aware that the man was supposed to make the first move, not the woman. She had to wait. Wait, and hope that her feelings were reciprocate.

He had said she was special to him, hadn't he?

Did he mean special to that extent, or was it some other kind of special that she was unfamiliar with? A kind of special that meant he liked her but not in the "together" way? Or was she getting the whole thing wrong yet again?

And it wasn't even like she could ask, was it? That wasn't how the whole "chivalry" thing worked, either. It would be seen as giving a hint, and apparently, she was supposed to provide as few of those as possible, to "increase the thrill of the chase" or some fanciful notion like that.

He was supposed to be a hunter, chasing after the prize hind. And there were very few of those to go around. She was barely a scrap of mutton in terms of wealth or status; nowhere near the venison most men wanted to rip their teeth into. Though what did it even matter about the rules, or what the game would determine her to be, if she couldn't take part, anyway?

Even wondering about it and thinking like that was making her headache worse; the cold compress couldn't come soon enough, as far as she was concerned...!

And she knew she wouldn't have to wait very long; the prince was bending down right then, and if she dismissed the thought of kissing him for the ridiculous thing that it was, she would get her relief.

It was like a rainstorm after a drought when it finally reached and settled, gently but firmly, on the skin on her head. It even made her involuntarily let out a tiny sigh of relaxation! She didn't think anything had ever felt so wondrously cool and refreshing in all her days...!

It didn't take away all the pain, of course, but it was numbing the area, and it she was more than happy for that. It was as though someone was breaking her fever during an illness – it felt like a step towards recovery.

"Does that feel any better, Lady Babcock?" the prince asked, not removing his hands from the cloth. He had to have been applying pressure.

He listened for the moan which signalled her affirmation before continuing, feeling slightly happier now that she had something to help with the pain.

"Just tell me if the water starts to lose its cold, then I will call for someone to bring more fresh, alright?"

C.C. nodded her agreement – she was too weak to even consider giving a verbal answer. What he was doing felt good, and she only wanted him to continue doing so until her head didn't feel like it was about to explode.

For a little while there was silence in the room, broken only by Niles periodically running the cloth under cold water and reapplying it to Lady Babcock's forehead. Eventually, she felt well enough to try some food. They started little – just a small bowl of porridge and some milk and slowly moved on to bigger and heavier foodstuffs. By teatime, the Lady Babcock was well enough to accept the stew Niles had ordered his cooks to prepare for dinner.

They ate together, as usual, only this time dinner found C.C. in bed and Niles sitting on a comfortable armchair at her bedside. They'd made small talk all day long, both of them skirting around issues that they knew should be discussed but they weren't brave enough to bring up. In C.C.'s case it was the night before, and in Niles' the fact that he was leaving the following morning for an extended period of time.

He had to tell her, there was no way around the issue, but he didn't think he'd bear the disappointment in her face, even if he knew putting her abreast of the newest developments would be infinitely better than simply disappearing for however long it took for him to complete his mission.

It might make the food easier to chew and swallow, if he could just spit out what he'd wanted to tell her but hadn't been able to...

Until now. He had to do it. They didn't have much time, so the sooner he did it, the sooner everybody could get used to the idea. The sooner he did it, the sooner it was out in the open and he could unburden himself, knowing that the truth was out.

The sooner he did, the more time they'd have left to just enjoy each other's company, before he had to go.

It was like jumping from a great height, into a pool of water. He hated to do it, but everything in him told him that if he did it without thinking, he'd be able to.

"I have to tell you something."

Well, alright, that came out a bit strangled and none of it was anything of what he'd wanted to say, but he decided not to kick himself over it and instead to consider it a run-up.

It had certainly got Lady Babcock's attention, anyway.

Not in the way he'd imagined, it would show, had he been inside C.C.'s head. Her mind had suddenly been thrown backwards, straight into the realm of all the things she'd thought about that morning.

Was...was he going to tell her what she thought he was...? Surely, this wasn't the right way to do it! Whenever a knight or a prince in some novel that she had read had been about to announce what he felt for the lady or the princess (they were always noble ladies and beautiful princesses, never maids who thought too much), it had been with his hands clasped around hers in a green, peaceful forest, not a dark bedroom, where the two people involved weren't even touching!

But he sounded as nervous as she currently felt, and it wasn't as if she wouldn't be ready for it when the time came (maybe he just couldn't hold it in any longer?), so she swallowed her stew, hoping that she didn't look too much of a mess as she did, and spoke.

"Alright. What is it that you have to tell me...?"

Niles nearly bailed on the conversation then. He could barely stand to look at her, so beautiful across the candlelight (she burned brighter than the flame did, he thought), and tell her that she was going to be left alone there...

But he had to do it. The practice leap was done, and the real one was coming.

He got it out in one more breath.

"I have to go away."

Out of all the words C.C. had been building up for, the prince had just managed to use exactly one of them. And it was this that made her mind immediately want it repeated, to check that nothing else had been said, which simply hadn't been heard.

"What?"

The prince repeated what he'd said, "I...I have to leave. Tomorrow. In the morning."

He wasn't saying what her mind had wondered and her heart had hoped. He was leaving. He had to be somewhere else, and those plans did not involve her. It was just her bad luck that she'd imagined he was going to say something else...

After that clarification, everything that hadn't been affected the first time then took a blunt baton to her system, leaving it battered and winded on the floor. It was that shock that made all the breath leave her body – she hadn't realised that she'd been holding it.

"Oh..." she could feel her heart sinking, but she pretended that it wasn't. It wouldn't be fair to him if she told him everything she wanted to. "But...why, sir? Can I ask why?"

She had no real right to ask, but she thought that maybe if she put it as politely as her suddenly aching heart would allow, then maybe the prince wouldn't mind. Niles didn't look as though he minded, even if for some reason, he did look pained.

"My father has put me in charge of surveying the lands that were damaged by the fire," he explained, each and every word killing him. "I have to ride out and look at them myself."

"Oh," C.C.'s eyes dropped to the food in her bowl, which now suddenly looked as appetising as a bowl full of mud. "I see. Then I suppose there's no disagreeing..."

What else could she say? If the king had ordered Niles to go, then he had to. That had already been decided, no questions asked. But she couldn't help still thinking, how nice it would be if he had said...something...before he went.

Had Niles been in her head then, it could all have been a very different story. But all he could see was her begrudging acceptance of his having to leave.

It was actually making him worry that, maybe, she was angry at him for not telling her before. But that was a subject he didn't know how to bring up – he'd never actually asked if another person was angry at him before, and the idea made him uneasy.

He usually knew when people were angry at him. But, for the most part, he didn't have to think about that. Being the Prince of Wales gave him an advantage in that even if other people were angry at you, you weren't normally the one who got in trouble over the issue.

Even when he had been learning from his tutors, if he had gotten an answer wrong, they simply called for his whipping boy to take the punishment for him. It was only really starting to dawn on him, this far into his adult life, just how much he had gotten away with. And he didn't necessarily feel good about dodging all the responsibilities he'd managed to hand off to other people, either.

But there wasn't anything he could do about it; no matter how much his stomach turned, he couldn't go back in time and take the canings for that other boy, like he'd deserved. He couldn't go and apologise to every person he'd only ever seen once and had wronged, in numerous ways.

But there was one person he could apologise to, before it was too late.

Letting out a sigh, he began.

"I'm sorry, Lady Babcock...I did not intend for...well, any of this to happen," he wiped at his eyes, allowing his line of sight to naturally fall away to the floor. "But, it all happened, when I was supposed to be a good host to you. A good friend. I've failed in my duties, and I can only hope that you'll forgive me."

C.C. shook her head at her food, part of her not daring to lift her eyes any further. She thought she might weep openly, if she even caught a glimpse of the expression on his face.

He was trying so hard, so very hard, to be good and truthful to her no matter what the circumstances, and to know that he was upset at the mere thought of it not being enough...it was almost too much for her to bear. If she took that, combined with her not wanting him to go, she would have flooded the lodge with her tears.

But, again, she simply had no choice. She had to let him go, and she had to make him see that apologies were not necessary.

"There is nothing to forgive, sir, I can assure you that. You have been...nothing but a wonderful host, and an even better friend. Your father's orders do not take anything away from that. You...you have no choice. It is your duty."

She supposed if she kept repeating that in her head, she'd probably not feel quite so bad about it, one of these days. But that was a day far off in the future for now.

And Prince Niles – whom she had chanced to glance briefly at – looked at her sadly, with a sigh.

"You are...too good for the likes of me, my lady. Your kindness and compassion truly know no bounds, even when the recipient has not earned either..."

"You have, my lord," she insisted, this time looking up at him so that he could see she meant it. "And I shall never forget these wonderful weeks spent together."

C.C. tried not to think just how much like a 'goodbye' her words had sounded. She didn't want to say goodbye, but once they were back at the palace life would inevitably veer towards uneventful, as she knew her existence was destined to be. Hers, unlike his, wasn't supposed to be a life to remember. She'd quietly tread the years she had left on this Earth and then she'd be forgotten; she'd disappear into nothingness, just as the bulk of humanity did.

But Niles was not going to follow her same path. No, his life would be documented down to a T. He'd be remembered and celebrated, like most English monarchs. So would his Queen, whoever that might be.

"Neither will I, Lady Babcock," he said, reaching for her hand and dropping a chaste kiss on its back.

C.C. could feel her breath catching in her throat the moment his lips touched her skin. Had it been up to her, she would have stopped time right then and there, so she would never have to not feel his gentle touch again. Still, there is so much a kiss can last, and soon (too soon) he was pulling away.

Two pairs of blue eyes met then, and for the longest of times they could only gaze into the depths of the other's miniature oceans. There must have been something magical about it because, soon enough, their lips were pressed together in a passionate kiss.

It was just as wonderful as it had been the other night. Only now, the rush and heat and giddiness pumping through them wasn't coming from wine running through their blood. It was coming from the feeling of each other's lips running over theirs, soft moans crawling up throats, as Niles found himself getting closer, kneeling and then sitting on her bed as arms wound around bodies and hands started wandering, exploring and seeking out pleasure over the top of clothes where they could.

It was magical. Just the two of them, lost in their own world, with so very little by way of fabric or space between them...

The thought didn't send him snapping back into reality until he was almost overwhelmed by the delectable feeling of Lady Babcock's tongue running over his lower lip.

He had to pull away – he was getting ahead of himself ( full of himself) again! What was he thinking?! She deserved better than this; she...she deserved better than him...

He tried to stumble out a few words – an apology, an explanation – anything that could stop everything before he went too far and lost what he had with her. All because of his own stupidity and lack of self-control.

"My...Lady Babcock, I–"

He never got past that. He just saw the woman in his arms shake her head and then cut him off with another kiss.

She didn't want to talk. It wouldn't be right or good; it would ruin everything. She didn't want to have to hear either of them say how this could only be temporary, or that they couldn't have anything else when this alone wasn't enough.

It would never be enough. And inside she was mourning because it was all she'd ever get.

And the tears that came with mourning were out before she could stop them, which only added to her shame. She should have hardened herself against the idea of living by alone forever by now. When there was only one clear destiny for you, you had to accept it. As much as she felt wanted right now, that would never be. It wasn't as if anybody else would take her, at her age and...inexperience.

She pulled away to try and wipe her tears, hoping she wouldn't scare the prince into feeling uncomfortable. She didn't want the night to end with him walking away...

Not when he'd have to go in the morning, and then she'd probably barely ever see him again.

But when she tried to lift her wrist to get rid of the tears, Niles caught her hand in his. He understood. She didn't want to talk about any of this – not when there was so little time, and everything could go disastrously wrong, or just go away in general.

He didn't know what he wanted (and it would've usually killed him to admit that), but he didn't want the night to have to go away. But he also knew that it had to end at some point and a new, cold day had to come. And he could only imagine that that day would be filled with an awkward silence until he left.

A silence from Lady Babcock, as she realised that she had made a terrible mistake. She had to know that she deserved better than him – it was as plain as day. And if she didn't, it wouldn't take her long to realise.

They were on borrowed time, and even if he couldn't name or even know what he wished would happen with it, he wanted to extend it for as long as possible. He lowered her hand, bringing it to his chest, and kissed away her tears before bringing his lips back to hers.

They were in each other's arms again before they knew it, kissing and touching as they had been before, never once stopping to talk about what they were doing because in the morning it might not even matter.

Not to anybody but them, anyway, and nobody seemed to care what they thought, or wanted.

It was a depressing thought, but a true one. And to combat it, as well as the loneliness creeping into their hearts at even the idea of being apart, as they began to tire and feel sleep coming upon them, they lay down together in a tight, wordless embrace.

They might not have the next morning, but they could hold each other through the night.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 13**

"Gentlemen, we stop here!"

The prince's shouted order echoed across his troops and soon three dozen men were stopping their horses and bringing their long trip to a momentary halt. They'd been travelling for a number of hours now and dusk was fast approaching, meaning they needed to find shelter to spend the night in as soon as possible.

It had been a long day of surveying refugee camps and settlements within small towns surrounding London and the prince knew his loyal men deserved a break. Naturally, that usually meant providing them with cheap entertainment and a never-ending supply of ale and good food, so when the Duke of Sheffield informed him there was a small inn a few miles away, Niles sent the man ahead so that he could warn the innkeeper of their impending arrival.

The prince and some of his trusted advisors would be sleeping at the inn, but most of his men would set up camp around the area. They would be allowed to feast and take girls if they so wished, but when night came they'd be tasked with securing the premises and standing guard.

Still, they were entitled to their well-deserved rest. So, upon arrival and after Niles had tied his new filly (he'd decided to name her Albina due to her pristine white fur and mane) to the inn's hitching post, the prince made his way inside and gave orders for the innkeeper and her people to keep the food, drink and girls coming.

He paid in advance and gave the innkeeper a little extra cash, too. Prince Niles was known to be a generous tipper. Generous, yes, but he spoke to everyone present as though he had not known cheer in many years.

As soon as both he and the innkeeper were satisfied that everything was paid for, he immediately left to head straight to the room he had been given for the night – the best and most expensive they had. It was nothing like the comfort and luxury of the palace, but Niles didn't care – there could be a gaping hole in the roof that left him exposed to the elements and potentially freezing, and yet he still wouldn't have been motivated to do anything other than turn over in his bed. It didn't matter. Nothing felt like it mattered, apart from the dull ache that hadn't left his chest since he'd left his lodge...

His stewards had tried to convince him to at least eat something before he disappeared off and nobody else saw him again for the rest of the night, but he waved them away. If he'd wanted something to eat, he would have asked.

In his current...situation, sat at the desk in the room, too awake to sleep but too tired to attempt doing anything else, he felt as though he might never wish to eat again.

He would have yelled that out when there was a knock at the door. The prince rolled his eyes, suspecting that a concerned steward might have attempted to bring him supper anyway.

He was about to bark at them to go back to whatever it was they'd been doing before they'd decided to bother him, but the person behind it came in without waiting for an answer.

Only it wasn't a steward, like he'd imagined. It was one of the inn's girls, looking no older than maybe fifteen or sixteen. She had long, black hair that fell loose about her shoulders and a corset so small and tight, her rather large bust was practically falling out.

Niles supposed that must've been the whole point, but he ignored every aspect and rose from his desk. The girl was intruding on his private space, and he wanted to know why.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked abruptly. "Did I tell you to come in?"

This put the girl on the back foot. She hadn't been expecting this when she'd been told by her madam and the visiting stewards that the prince required company – he was famous up and down the land for taking girls; why would he act like he wasn't expecting another one? Surely he should've been happy that one was being provided without him having to go through every girl in the inn!

She knew she was the best there. Every regular said so. And she was determined to show His Royal Highness, too. So, she tried to turn it into an advantage, by putting on a voice she knew the patrons loved – flirty, giggly, and utterly unlike their wives.

"Begging your pardon, my lord," she curtsied slowly, hoping he was looking down her bodice as she went. "But I became so...enthusiastic at the prospect of seeing you, that all thought fled my mind...!"

Niles frowned, unimpressed at her little display. He'd seen – and had – plenty of these girls. He knew she'd been sent from downstairs, and he knew why it exactly was that she'd been sent.

He began turning away, "Well, now you've seen, so there is no need for you to stay. Don't forget about shutting my door on your way out."

The girl blinked. This definitely wasn't how things were supposed to go! She'd been irresistible to every man who walked through that door so far – why was the prince, who was notorious for having women whenever he wanted, any different?!

She couldn't have been losing her looks, or her desirability already! She was still firmly shaped, curved in all the right places, and had the bedroom experience that every man wanted and dreamed of!

She tried again. Maybe if she reached out and started by massaging his shoulders...

"Maybe in a while, my lord, after I have––"

"Unhand me, girl!" the prince snapped, turning fully to glare at her. His voice turned softer, if nonetheless angry. "I do not desire your company, nor the company of any woman in this place. I wish to be left in peace. Now return from whence you came, before I make you sorry for coming at all!"

The girl didn't need to be told twice. She fled, an equal measure of stunned and terrified.

And when she made it back down to where the steward was, and had explained the prince's...ire at being disturbed, he was stunned too.

What on Earth was going on?! Prince Niles always took women when he was on journeys like this – sometimes more than one a night! And he'd just sent away the most supple-looking and beautiful girl in the place! What was the matter with her?! Did he not like her face? Were her breasts not big enough? Did she refuse to do something special for him? Surely she could be coerced into kneeling, or bending over when a man wanted her to?

Or was it something about him? Was he ill? He hadn't eaten all day...

Maybe he needed to be seen by a doctor...

However, when the notion was brought to the Duke of Sheffield, he quickly dismissed it. He already knew what was wrong with his friend and, after years of close friendship, he knew when it was best to let him blow off some steam on his own, and when to go to his aid.

This time, Maxwell knew, was the latter.

So, after ushering the stewards and the young wench that had been sent to please the future king away, he made his way upstairs, whistling under his breath.

He didn't bother knocking before showing himself in. Some royals might have considered this liberty to be a slight, but Maxwell knew his friend didn't mind. And speaking of the prince, the young man was now slumped against the back of his bed, arms crossed over his chest and a sour expression on his face.

The sight bordered on comical to the Duke, but he valued his life too much to allow his amusement at His Royal Highness' version of an adult tantrum.

Not that he couldn't look amused (and perhaps a little bit smug) over the cause. It was obvious to anyone who had eyes why he was upset – all they had to do was take a look around and see who was missing from the setting the prince currently found himself in.

Maxwell had seen the prince and Lady Babcock, back when they'd been staying at the prince's lodge. He'd been on the small council involved in rebuilding, but he'd caught glimpses of the two during the scarce breaks that they'd had. Niles had looked at the lady-turned-maid like she was the dry land after endless stormy seas, the wondrous, flowing riches bestowed upon a penniless beggar, or the words on the page of a gripping adventure novel...

It was a stark contrast, having pictured the prince's face from then and seeing it now.

Maxwell smiled brightly at him as he came to stand, hands tucked neatly behind his back, next to Niles' bed.

"So, you're missing her already."

He didn't have to phrase it as a question. He just knew it was true.

Niles' head snapped a little in his direction, but to save face, he was probably holding it back. That didn't stop the look of annoyance in his eyes, though.

"Missing who?"

The question was lame – as though he didn't have the faintest clue who his friend could be talking about! But he was sticking by it, and hoping that Maxwell would just drop the subject.

No such luck, as the duke began to pace, folding his arms and never once ceasing to look anything other than a man who knew too much and was determined to declare himself superior for it.

"You know perfectly well who I mean," he replied. "I am referring to Lady Babcock, of course."

The prince stiffened at the name, before turning away and trying to look natural, "I don't miss her."

Maxwell scoffed, loudly and openly.

"If you don't mind my saying so, come off it, Your Royal Highness! I haven't seen anybody pining for something so hard since my prized hunting dog last birthed a litter of puppies!"

Niles turned towards him sharply, "I am not pining, like a dog or otherwise!"

The duke leaned in a little bit towards him, arms still folded, "You haven't eaten all day, and you've been miserable the whole time! You're either pining because you're missing Lady Babcock or you're dying and you haven't figured out how to tell anybody yet! Now, which is it...?!"

He figured he'd wait for an answer all night if he had to, but luckily fate was smiling down on him. It only took a few, long, uncomfortable moments of silence before the prince opened his mouth again.

"Alright, fine!" he admitted. Even in the low light, it looked like he was turning red. "I miss Lady Babcock."

Maxwell burst into a grin. He knew that he'd been right! He loved it when he was, too – it meant that he had been the one to solve a problem. The intelligent one, who could put the world to rights again, no matter what was needed.

But before he could perform any kind of self-congratulatory dance for getting his friend to confess, the prince continued.

"I just...I just don't know what to do about it! She is in my thoughts constantly, especially after we...we kissed, and fell asleep together, back at my lodge..."

He seemed to be expecting judgement for that statement, because he trailed off briefly. When Maxwell, intrigued at this point, merely nodded, he continued.

"I cannot get her out of my mind! I care for her more than any woman I have ever met in my life, but I have no idea what any of it actually means! I wanted to find out, but then my father called me on this trip, making me leave, which just made her upset – I don't want her to be upset! I'm already terrified of not being enough, when all I want is to do right by her..."

He trailed off, sighing and letting his head fall into his hand.

Maxwell had to hold back another grin in return. He knew what was going on here – he'd experienced it himself, and he was certain then that he knew what would help his friend.

Of course, the first step in the process was naming the issue aloud.

"So, what you're telling me is that you're in love with Lady Babcock?"

Niles' hand shot up his face and raked through his hair, seemingly in a shock-provoked bodily reaction. He stared, wide-eyed, at the duke, before shaking his head.

"No. No, I'm not..."

To Maxwell, it seemed almost cruel to want to laugh at this stage, so he just about held it back in. His friend needed educating first. He'd save the banter for later – a lot later, when there was plenty of food and wine, and maybe the prince had learned how to sort his feelings out.

He was going to help him.

"Why the adamant denial?! You just told me you don't know how you feel! And you spend all your time with Lady Babcock; you care about her wellbeing and feelings, when neither have ever interested you in anyone, let alone women you find desirable; you smile like an idiot any time you see her – don't interrupt, I'm not finished yet – and you say you kissed her, falling asleep together after?"

The prince nodded, "Yes..."

"Did you take her in that bed?"

Niles looked as though Maxwell had just accused him of killing his own mother.

"No, of course not!"

Maxwell pointed a finger at his friend, "That's because it's love you're feeling!"

Niles felt like he'd been blasted backwards by cannon fire. It gave him the same ringing in his ears and blurry dizziness in his mind. He couldn't think straight, or talk, or do anything to help himself...

He wasn't in love with Lady Babcock, was he? It wasn't romantic to want what was best for someone, nor was the need to spend time with a person born out of desire! It couldn't be right! He'd done the good and righteous thing, by not taking her! She was a lady, not some common bit off the street that anybody and everybody had had!

She was warm, kind, intelligent, witty, and sophisticated on every level – she deserved to be kept honest. He was even planning on finding her a husband! Once he'd stopped feeling so depressed about the whole issue, of course.

There had to be a good man out there for her; one who was handsome and strong and loving, who would never break her heart or treat her poorly, and who could keep her in the life that she deserved to have. One where she was kept in luxury and comfort, and was held firmly and lovingly at night...

Something stirred unpleasantly in his stomach. He had to let the thought go; it was burning him up inside even suggesting the notion. The idea of her being with another man just...it just angered him, so much...! He couldn't get past it, whenever he imagined her finally finding the man who was right for her. Who was best for her.

But it wasn't because she would have chosen to go with someone...he...he felt like it was because she had chosen not to stay with him. She would have picked the best man for her...and she knew that it wasn't him...

He would have finally been proven to not be enough for her, in any way...

But...why would he want to be enough for her in the first place? Why was he so upset about her not choosing him, over any other man? Especially if there was one out there who cared for her more than anyone in the entire world, and could give her exactly the life she deserved, nothing less?

Why did it matter what he felt so much, if it meant that she was happy? He'd be doing the right thing in letting her go to the best man possible. Even if it made him miserable, he knew that she had to be with the person who was best for her.

It would make him happy eventually, seeing her with a good man who loved her, too.

Wait, what?

He'd just said "loved her, too". Why had he added the "too"? What was that for?

Why had he thought that?! It wasn't true – it couldn't have been! He just wanted to support Lady Babcock in every aspect, that was all. He wanted to provide for her, protect her when she needed it (although that was hardly ever, the fiery spirit that she was!), spend as much time making her happy as he possibly could...

And why would he not want to do that? It was what friends did for each other. And that was what Lady Babcock was to him: a friend. Some part of his mind tried to ask what kind of friends kissed, but he dismissed it. That had to have been a simple mistake that anybody could make!

She was just a friend. A friend he wanted to see smile all the time, and to hear laugh. She was a truly wonderful friend, too; one he wanted to spend more time with than anybody else, even into the latest hours of the night...maybe kiss again...

That was when he realised he'd fallen completely into day dreaming, and his mind skidded to a halt.

Oh dear God. It was true, wasn't it?

He…he was in love with Lady Babcock!

The realisation hit him like a cannonball would hit a soldier, sending him flying back into the dirt. Or, in his case, his headboard, as he fell back against it, winded even though he hadn't been physically hit.

Lady Babcock. He was in love with Lady Babcock! She had been on his mind all the time that he'd been away because he didn't truly want to be apart from her! He got angry at the thought of her being with another man because he wanted to be the man for her!

But what was he going to do about it?! He didn't even know where to begin!

He'd never felt this way about anybody before. He'd had plenty of physical experience with women, but he hadn't loved any of them! They were simply...it seemed callous of him now, but they were simply a means to an end.

He didn't know what it took to be in love with a person, to do it right, or even if Lady Babcock felt the same way! What would he do if she didn't?

Come to think of it, what would he do if she did? He had no real frame of reference to go by, but he needed to come up with a plan of action. And he had to do it fast!

All the while this was running through the prince's mind, Maxwell grinned at the expression on his face.

"Has it started to hit home yet?"

"Hm?" the question brought Niles out of his thoughts and his eyes turned to his friend.

Maxwell tried again, "Has the realisation dawned on you?"

Had it not been a true assumption, Niles might've been annoyed by it. But it was true, and he was thinking too deeply to suddenly let it go and snap at the duke.

"You could say that," he replied instead, feeling a sense of urgency creeping in underneath his skin. "But...what do I do about it? How do I even begin to tell her...?!"

A second thought seemed to go through the prince's mind, for the alarm in his now wide-open eyes had grown tenfold.

"What if she doesn't feel that way?! About me, I mean? How…what…well, what am I supposed to do there?" said the prince, wringing his hands in apprehension.

He wouldn't blame Lady Babcock for not wanting to associate with the likes of him – his track record was all the proof she needed to stay far away from him – but he would be lying if he said that her rejection wouldn't sting. He knew how to seduce women, how to entice them so that they would open their legs for him (although that wasn't exactly a hard task, considering his status and fortune), but when it came to _wooing_ women, he was…well…shamefully clueless.

Maxwell came to sit by the despairing prince and stuck a hand out to pat his back.

"There is no correct or easy way to face rejection, sir," explained Maxwell. "You must face this like a man. If you want her, then chase after her. The odds are all in your favour – the one thing you need, is courage to act on your feelings."

"I have the courage," Niles protested – he wasn't shying away from the challenge! "I just…don't know how to go about this. I…I've never felt this way before."

It was actually starting to make him feel rather small, not knowing what to do. And, for the first time in his life, he was envious of all the men out there who had found their loves, wooed them successfully, and were now living happy lives together.

As a prince, he'd never imagined that he'd wish to be in the shoes of anybody else. In fact, he'd used to laugh at men like that for tying themselves to one woman instead of treating it like a game in which women were the points. They all had – him, his father, the other lords...

Most of them, anyway. The few who hadn't – the ones who had happy marriages to good women – stayed out of it.

And one of those lords was actually stood right in front of him...

He sat upright, the realisation striking like a bolt of lightning, before shuffling along the bed towards the duke.

"You can teach me!" he cried out. "You courted a maid, and now look at you! You're married to her now, and unlike many of our friends at court, you actually like your wife!

"I _love_ my wife; there is a difference," Maxwell replied.

He wasn't sure how he felt about helping Niles with this, though. Of course he wanted his friend to be happy and to know what he was doing, but it was still a responsibility to have to teach a grown man how to go about pursuing his love...

It should have been up to King Joseph to teach him, when he was just starting to become a man. But Maxwell also knew, just from knowing how the king behaved with...well, any woman he came across, that that was never going to happen.

So, he supposed it was up to him. He'd take it on and help his friend.

His clearly desperate friend.

"Yes, yes, I understand," Niles said quickly, hands clasped like they were begging. "But can you help me? I don't even know where to start!"

Maxwell hummed – being the one doing the wooing was one thing, but trying to teach somebody else what the first step to successfully court a lady was another thing entirely. He'd never really thought about what the best way to start courting a woman was. He'd simply gone and…well… done it. He hadn't given it much thought.

Wooing and marrying Fran had probably been the two best things he'd ever done in his life (excluding his children, of course). He remembered she'd been hired as a governess for his young children, whose mother had recently succumbed to Scarlet Fever only months after having given birth to their youngest, Lady Grace Sheffield. Lady Fine's own father had also succumbed to disease, and so the young woman had been forced to find employment to sustain herself.

He'd had his doubts about her in the beginning, but she'd proved herself to be a wonderful (albeit somewhat unconventional) caretaker. She'd soon become more than just a nanny – the children had found in her a much needed motherly figure, and Maxwell himself had been brought back to life after being in mourning for so long.

It had taken him a while to come around, but once he'd made up his mind about what he felt for Fran and what he wanted with her, things had moved at an outstanding pace. Barely two years after arriving at their home, the governess had become the lady of the house and she was currently expecting their first child together. Maxwell couldn't help smiling then – he simply adored his wife, and he couldn't wait to be a father again.

"Well," the duke carefully began, "considering you two have already spent more than enough time together, I would suggest you make your intentions clear to her. If she rebuffs your advances, then you will know it's a lost cause. If she doesn't, then you have a chance to win her over. Gifts usually help there…"

_Gifts_, Niles thought to himself, the word lighting up in his head like the first rays of the morning sun. Of course! He didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before! Everybody liked getting gifts; they were an excellent way to show a person how one felt!

It had to be perfect, though. Something grand and original (if other suitors were to come along, he wanted to stand a chance), but heartfelt. Not too extravagant, lest she thought he was becoming his arrogant former self again, but still big. He had a lot of feelings to get out, after all...

He must have been silent on the matter too long, because Maxwell chimed in, trying to offer suggestions.

"Perhaps you could start by gifting her––"

"The Duchy of Sussex!" Niles blurted out, his heart bursting with happiness at his own thought. "She'll love it; that's the perfect gift!"

Maxwell cringed internally, his previously gentle smile contorting into a confused and slightly concerned frown.

His friend _really_ had never done this before.

It was fortunate that he'd recognised the prince needed talking to – it must've been a sign from the good Lord Almighty, that he had been chosen to help this poor man out of his well-intentioned but ultimately hapless endeavour.

He was going to break the news to him delicately, though.

"Be that as it may, sir, it might be a tad too much for a first gift," he said, praying that his friend wouldn't feel insulted by his words. "Perhaps you might...start with something a little…smaller?"

"Smaller?" asked the Prince, a puzzled look on his face, "What do you mean when you say smaller?"

"Sir, forgive me for my impertinence, but what do _you_ mean when you say smaller?"

Niles was silent for a few seconds, almost as if he were racking his brain for what he considered was a more adequate first gift for the woman he intended to woo. Maxwell suspected that any answer he ended up giving would be miles away from what (normal) people classified as a small gift, but he wanted to give the prince a chance. Not to mention size up the situation – see how hard he'd have to work to shape the prince into a skilled wooer.

"Well…" the Prince spoke softly, eyebrows knitted in a thoughtful frown, "If I should give the Lady Babcock something smaller, I could start by gifting her a home of her own – a manor for her to live in and a monthly stipend for her to sustain herself. I initially considered giving her each and every stately home in Wales, but I gather you'd consider that a bit of an exaggeration, correct?"

Maxwell nearly choked on a bubble of air stuck in the back of his throat.

"You could say that," he tried hard not to wheeze, and kept his lips pursed so that he wouldn't let out anything that could sound either like laughter or sobs.

His friend was clearly a desperate case. An emergency, even. He'd never heard of a man going to such extreme lengths without even declaring his intentions first! It was simply too much, and it would probably make Lady Babcock feel uncomfortable.

He had to help the poor man, before he went too far, far too soon!

And Niles looked desperate enough that any thought before about why it had to be him helping fled his mind. This was his job - his responsibility, as Prince Niles' friend. And he had obviously been right about it being God-given; the signs were all there and they were practically crying out for him to lend a hand.

"But... one stately home isn't an extravagance, is it?" the prince didn't sound sure of himself. "That's what you meant by smaller, isn't it? Giving her a home of her own is a good idea?"

He sounded like he was trying to convince himself, and Maxwell hated to let him down, but it had to be done.

"It...might be best to start off with something...even smaller, my lord..."

Niles looked taken aback, "Smaller than a single home?! Will she even know what I'm trying to do, by the time I've found a gift that meets your size requirements?!"

"Of course she will!" Maxwell protested, rolling his eyes good-naturedly. "Women pay attention to both grand and small gestures, but more often than not, it's the small ones that matter the most."

Niles blinked, not fully understanding. Every woman he'd ever had before, if he was ever going to give her a trinket as payment or thanks, would want the biggest, brightest and best available. Of course, he'd always put a limit on what constituted the "biggest, brightest and best", but he didn't want to do that for Lady Babcock...not for C.C..

How else would she feel special, compared to the whores and common women that he'd so easily tossed away? Surely if the gift he gave her was no bigger than any of theirs, she might feel as though she simply filed away into the ranks?

What he felt for her was...so much bigger than anything he had ever felt before. If she didn't take Sussex as a gift, he might have to use the entire county simply to store the feeling, to the greatest depth and breadth and height that it could reach.

That was why he was certain that a house of her own, and a stipend for money, would have been perfect. No more working in the palace, back to a respectable title, her own space and food and servants to wait on her...

She'd be invited back to the palace with open arms, and he could court her as formerly and properly as she deserved. But Maxwell didn't appear to think much of his idea – he was trying to explain about the benefits of smaller gestures, still.

"It shows that you care. A large, expensive gesture only happens occasionally with most, and they are definite times in which a man will tell a woman how he feels. Small gestures, worth less in gold but meaning the same in thought, often mean more because you are telling her how you feel more often!"

Niles felt like he understood the maths behind that statement, but he didn't like Maxwell's attempts at stopping him from buying C.C. absolutely everything that she wanted (and possibly some things that she didn't).

She deserved far better than what she was getting and he was going to help her get it.

"Fine," he eventually conceded, to the steward's deflated form – he must have been relieved to hear that he wasn't planning on buying too much. "If you think a smaller gift is more the norm, then smaller it shall be."

Maxwell looked relieved, "Excellent."

And then Niles continued, "Whatever it ends up being, she will be able to admire it from the new estate that I will give to her."

Maxwell's face contorted into a pained grimace. It looked like his friend was set on doing things his way. The fact he had accepted that smaller gifts were the way to go was a step forward, but that was as much progress the prince seemed to be making in the love department for the time being.

Heaving a sigh, Maxwell decided it was a losing battle. He had to let him be and pray to the Lord Almighty that the whole thing didn't backfire in his face. The Prince had never been in love – the last thing they needed was for him to be disappointed and revert to his old ways! The most he could hope for was to gently coach him on how to perform smaller gestures.

"Very well, sir, have you decided which of your many stately homes will be Lady Babcock's new abode?"

Maxwell could physically feel himself bracing for some outrageous answer.

"I haven't really given it much thought…" the Prince started after making a thoughtful noise in the back of his throat. "But I suppose there is only one obvious answer to your question…"

Oh boy, here it came – he was going to say something stupid, like that he was going to gift her Windso–

"My beloved Hunting Lodge, of course," said the prince. "The Lady Babcock thoroughly enjoyed her time there, so it only makes sense she is housed there indefinitely."

Maxwell could have sworn that he nearly fell from where he was sat, at that moment. Niles adored his lodge – it was obvious to anybody who saw, and it was just as obvious that he'd never even dreamed of giving it away before now! It was his home in a way that the palace wasn't; it was his private space, where he could be himself and not have to worry about the burdens of his station. He relaxed there, and just let the world pass him by, not worrying for a small part of his everyday existence.

How could he even consider giving up the one place he clearly felt truly free? He'd never even brought a woman there, not a single whore, or commoner, or even a noble girl, before he'd taken Lady Babcock...

That was when it struck him – just as he'd been about to protest on behalf of the prince's love for his personal belongings. That was why he was giving the place to Lady Babcock. Because she was the only one who made him feel as safe as the lodge did. She was the only one who had enjoyed it with him, and maybe...maybe made it feel like some sort of a home.

If that was how he felt, even if he was unaware of the true extent, then giving her the lodge would pour it all out like a tidal wave...!

It wasn't as bad as any of the places he'd been expecting to hear come from the prince's overeager lips. And it didn't involve kicking out any nobles or lesser members of the royal family in order to make it happen...

Granted, it was still more than slightly odd, given that the prince had never spoken a word about letting it go before, and the change would be sure to turn heads and cause complications (what would Queen Marie say, when her beloved lady-in-waiting was suddenly living elsewhere?), but it...it didn't feel as bad as it had done. And definitely not as it would have done if the prince had said somewhere else.

There would certainly be less chaos with this than he had been bracing for, even if part of him still felt a little uncomfortable with the whole thing.

Then again, he'd only have felt completely within his element if Niles had simply agreed that a stately home as a first gift was a ridiculous notion, and had agreed to buy the Lady Babcock a nice necklace instead.

But he didn't get that, and the prince didn't understand why he thought he should do it in the first place, so he supposed be just ought to be grateful that Sussex didn't have a new duchess already.

So, this alternative was more than acceptable.

The nobleman nodded, "It's a...rather fine choice, sir. I'm sure she'll love it."

Niles started to smile. He really did hope that C.C. loved the lodge – it was a place of...many memories for them. Their first kiss being just one of those times, of course. She could spend time relaxing in the calm and peaceful quiet, reminiscing and living the life she deserved...

Of course, as long as she took the gift. If she refused it, Niles wasn't sure what he'd do...

His stomach was turning over, just thinking about it...

He wanted her to be happy and safe there, like she'd been during those few heavenly weeks they'd spent together. Maybe…maybe that was just what _he_ was also craving – quiet days in her company and warm nights in her arms. It was what he knew Maxwell had with his own beloved wife; he'd seen them around, holding hands and sharing warm, happy smiles full of unspoken secrets. Secrets only known by them and cherished more than words could say.

Niles could see himself being like that with Lady Babcock. He could see them walking around, hand in hand, twin bands glinting on their fingers. He could picture them lying together at night, happy and content in each other's arms. He could see them waiting sweetly for a child to come out of her swollen belly. He could see them ruling the kingdom side by side as they grew old together.

He didn't just want to court her.

He wanted her. All of her.

He wanted a life together.

It appeared, he realised, he wanted to make her his wife.

"Of course she will," Niles said with a new sense of purpose swelling in his chest, "And I will get her a nice engagement ring to go with it – it's only fair, if she is to be my wife."

Even saying it aloud made the excitement and feeling of complete wonder swell deep in his very soul. It certainly encouraged his thoughts, even if he suspected that...some other people...might not be best pleased, and would actively try to discourage it.

His father was right at the top of the list of people, when he thought about that. But he didn't care. He knew what he wanted, and that was a life in which he got to be married to Lady Chastity-Claire Babcock, no matter what anybody else said or thought.

And it wasn't as though he was going to tell his father, anyway. The first person who would know, besides his own beloved herself (she'd make the most beautiful bride, at the most beautiful wedding!), would be his mother.

She loved C.C.. She'd be happy for them – he could feel it.

Maxwell, on the other hand, was busy trying to pick up his jaw from the floor.

This had all moved along so suddenly! The prince hadn't mentioned anything about love, or giving away lodges, or marriage only yesterday, and today he was ready for all three?!

There was only one reason he could possibly have jumped to that thought, and it was something Maxwell had once never thought possible from his friend. He had found a winner, with Lady Babcock. The real thing, by way of true love. It could only have made no sense in his mind to waste time when they could be happily married and enjoying being together, so he wanted to hurry everything along...

The nobleman didn't know whether to be overwhelmed with happiness for his friend, or simply let the shock take him and fall unconscious. Granted, it was all a lot, and there was a chance that for the woman, it would be far too soon, but still...he had seen the way they'd been together. The looks that were there, and the way they spoke...

The odds did feel like they could be in his favour. He clearly adored her, to want to give her so much...

But he still felt compelled to ask, lest his friend ended up acting on impulse and ruined what could be the best relationship of his life.

"Marry her, sir?! Aren't you…well…rushing into things? Just mere hours ago you weren't even aware that you are in love, and yet now you are ready for marriage?! Didn't you wish to court her first?" Maxwell said.

"You make good points, Your Grace," said the prince. "But, in hindsight, I feel I can no longer delay this. Lady Babcock and I have spent more than enough time together – more so than most betrothed couples do before the wedding – and we have proven to be compatible in every way. We have kissed and gone to bed together, both out of her own volition. If she didn't like me, she wouldn't have spent all that time with me. Or kissed me. Or slept in the same bed as myself. Quite frankly, why wait any longer?"

Maxwell fell silent for a second. The prince did have a point when he'd said he and Lady Babcock had spent more than enough time together. Perhaps, given the circumstances, neither had realised their actions could be classified as courtship. The fact they'd kissed and slept in the same bed only seemed to support what the prince was saying…

Well, in that case, the duke supposed there was nothing else to be said or done other than to support him, even if the recent developments could be considered somewhat rushed. Still, he had one last question to pose to his friend, even if asking it could present a danger to him.

"Fair enough, sir, if that is your choice I shall support this new endeavour," Maxwell eventually replied, bowing his head to his master. "However, might I be allowed to ask but one question? Even if it might sound insolent?"

Niles gestured affirmatively with his hand. The prince doubted he'd take offence at anything the duke could say, even if it was insolent. Their friendship spanned years, there was (almost) nothing he could say that would break their bond of brotherhood. More often than not, Maxwell was the voice of reason that he sometimes lacked due to his own impulsive nature. He valued his advice and would always hear what he had to say.

"If you reply affirmatively, I shall never mention this again and wholeheartedly support this hopefully happy union, come what may," Maxwell began, staring into Niles' eyes. "But should that not be the case, I beg you, my lord, reconsider."

"Speak, man," Niles said, frowning. "Whatever it is, just say it."

Taking a deep breath (Niles suspected that was Maxwell's attempt at building up his courage), the Duke began.

"Are you sure you are marrying her because you truly love her, or is this the result of not having had her already? An unconscious attempt at getting your latest whim?"

Niles had to admit, it took a great deal of courage for Maxwell to say what he'd said. Unfortunately, for the rage building inside him at the insult, intended or not, it was also one of the most stupid.

Perhaps _the_ most stupid, actually. What kind of a manipulative, deceitful cad did the duke take him for?! Did he really and truly believe that he was going to marry C.C. purely for the purpose of having her?! What kind of a rake did something like that?! Only the worst ones, which he'd never assumed that Maxwell took him for.

He puffed out his chest even more, trying to intimidate with his size. He was prepared to stand up and come to blows, if that was what it took. To defend what honour he had, in regards to his beloved, he'd do anything.

"If you think my intentions are anything less than honourable, then I suggest you object at the wedding!" he snarled. "I happen to love C.C. with all my heart, and even if she were spread naked before me, willing me on to do as I pleased, I would not even think of such a thing until we were married! I will not sully her honour and good name, all for my own selfish reasons! She means more to me than life itself, and I am not going to show such blatant disrespect by treating her like some common wench off the street! Is that clear?!"

Maxwell actually felt winded and rather small after that verbal blast. But, yes...it was all very clear...

His friend hadn't panicked at his question, become guilty looking or even smirked in a way that said he'd been caught but no one could do a thing about it. He'd just become angry and insulted, because the thought had never once crossed his mind. He simply loved Lady Babcock, and he intended to do right by her.

That was all the duke needed to know to help his friend. If they were still friends, after the shouting that had just gone on...

He chanced the idea that they were, by nodding and starting to smile.

"Excellent. Well, that's...all I needed to know, really..."

That was when Niles saw the look of determination and happiness on Maxwell's face, shining right through his eyes. He knew then that it had been a test – a test of his intentions and his truthfulness in the matter.

It was still insulting, in some respects, but he knew the duke had only done it for the right reasons. Just a year ago, it would have been a very different outcome, and Niles knew that Maxwell wanted to be sure. He was a better friend than most, even when it meant being on the receiving end of someone else's anger.

He mirrored his friend's own smile, and nodded as well.

That was when Maxwell knew it was safe to get up, and to leave the conversation where it was. They had a lot to do in the coming days, he was sure to remind the prince as he walked to the door, intending to leave him to rest.

"So don't stay up all night thinking about Lady Babcock! We still need you fresh in the morning…" he teased smugly, just before closing the door and avoiding a cushion that had then smacked into the wood just seconds later.

Niles didn't care enough to go get it. He was happy to simply lie down. Maxwell was right – they had a lot to do in the morning, surveying more damage and meeting with more survivors...

And, if he came across the perfect jeweller's, he'd be shopping for engagement rings, too.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chapter 14**_

Before coming into servitude, C.C. would never have understood the meaning of the word "famished". Nor would she have understood what it meant to be "exhausted".

As a lady, she'd never had to worry about where her next meal was coming from, or if there was going to be enough of it. Neither had she ever had to worry about finishing anything up before she could go to sleep, or spend a day in a pained haze because she had only had a couple of hours instead of a full night.

However, that wasn't the case when one worked as a servant – and that went doubly so now that she was a lady-in-waiting! Her mealtimes and duty hours were different compared to the rest of the household, plus emergencies sometimes meant that she had to get up at a moment's notice, so she had to get things for herself and rest simply when she could.

Getting back into a routine at the palace, after so many glorious weeks at the lodge, seemed to be proving difficult. And not just because she was suddenly faced with a different routine, and had clearly caught something from one of the others as soon as she'd gotten there (the constant chills and the fevers were _not_ a nice "welcome back" gift, they just made her workday harder).

It was the fact that she had suddenly found herself so far away from Niles.

Saying goodbye to him outside the lodge on the morning he'd left had been like watching someone take a large hammer to her heart. She almost hadn't been able to bear it, even when he'd bowed and kissed the back of her hand, as any gentleman would do for a lady, and had quietly told her that he would see her again soon.

"Soon" might as well have been decades away, in her mind. Ironically enough, it was also her mind that gave her the most comfort – by giving her images of how they could be, once he had returned. He certainly wrote to her often enough; she'd gotten so many letters, all talking about the places he'd seen and the people he'd spoken to. And he'd always end them with how much he missed her.

She only wished that she could write back, and tell him the same (it felt like a gaping hole that got larger with each passing day), but his party would have moved on by the time that it got to where they'd been...

So, she could only have her mind, and her dreams. Wondrous images of Niles riding in through the palace gates, on his horse and galloping at full speed, slowing her and jumping to the ground, before taking off running up the steps and bursting in.

He always hurried straight to her room, searching as he went but eventually appearing at her door. Sometimes in her mind, she was reading his letters at her table, and in others, she was sat at the window, looking forlorn while the box where she kept them lay open on her bed...

Either way, it always continued when he said something clever that caught her attention, and she got to run into his arms and be swept up into a tight, loving embrace and a passionate kiss...

Just as passionate as the ones they'd already shared (gosh, she always blushed when she thought about _those_!). Even more so, if they could have more of them.

It was precisely the thought of all the future kisses they could share, what distracted her from her uneventful routine. Thinking about what they were and what they could be, to the point where the longing ached deep within her, unable to be shifted, was what kept her going in his absence. Still, not having him close was a burden she was struggling to carry.

Even Marie's own spectacular welcome had done very little to help, which only made C.C. feel even worse because the dresses and jewellery that she'd had made for her were all beautiful. They were meant to be a surprise for coming back, and they certainly were, after the hugs and kisses she'd been given as she walked in through the door.

But still, it could never hold up in comparison to the kiss she felt on his lips daily.

The night they'd kissed and fallen asleep had been beyond anything she'd ever experienced – it had been a moment where she'd thought it was all destined to be over, but fate and feeling had proved her wrong! It was as real for him as it was for her (and that was a shock in itself), and nothing could stop it.

Not even the sudden dizzy spell she had as she sighed just upon remembering her latest daydream, forcing her to lean against the wall for a few moments before she could head to the kitchen and try to satiate her hunger.

There were more people in the kitchen than she'd imagined when she got there, which pleased her – it usually meant the stew on the fire that the cooks had prepared would still be warm, and there might be some bread to go with it. She could see some of the servants at the table having some – including Prudence, whose glare she ignored as she went by (making a note to remind Niles of about it when he got back) – and she headed slowly off (she was obviously still feeling a little weary and maybe the room might've been too hot) to grab herself a bowl and spoon.

Unfortunately there was no bread left, but she got her bowl filled nicely by one of the cooks to make up for the lack (plus a few words telling her to get more rest because she clearly needed it), and C.C. carried her food carefully back to the table.

It wasn't the magnificent feast she'd shared with Niles, but then again, nothing was.

She was just about to dip her spoon into the steaming beef and vegetable stew, when a sharp voice halted her in her tracks.

"So, look who's decided to debase her new position to grace the lower orders with her presence?

Prudence. Of course it would be her. She was still sticking C.C. a haughty look, like sharp, expensive daggers, from across the table, hating deeper than rainwater could penetrate or absorb.

That was on people, or in the ground, too.

The older woman didn't care if everybody in the whole world knew how much and how greatly she loathed that whore. Who the hell did she think she was, imagining herself high and mighty enough to take the prince for weeks like the common slut she was, only to get waited on hand and foot in between bending over or opening her legs, and then still having the gall to take payment at the end of it all!

Did she really have no shame?! She supposed this whole thing truly answered her question, even without getting to berate the whore for not keeping her legs shut. She did not dare question the prince's integrity – a man could do as he pleased with whores who did not pretend to have rights to a station they should never have been granted.

On top of that, she was well aware that the man was sending her letters (so many of them, too!), and Prudence wanted to tread very carefully around that. She'd scoffed at the idea at first (why would he bother writing to his latest broken toy? He never did that), but when the proof positive had turned up one breakfast, Lady Babcock reading it with the stupid smile of a slut who'd had her head smacked against a headboard too many times, she hadn't been able to deny it anymore.

It had made her fume, just beneath her skin. There were whispers among the maids that he really and truly was besotted, and those only added to her rage and discomfort by putting a bad taste in her mouth that she wanted to spit straight back out.

It couldn't happen – it shouldn't be allowed! No true prince in his right mind would ever dream of wasting his affections on that! She wasn't a lady – she was nothing but a glorified prostitute, and it was shameful and embarrassing that the prince was treating her as though she was anything more!

Prudence wasn't about to treat her as more. She was going to put her exactly in the place that she deserved to be – and hopefully, that would be out on the street. Back where they'd found her. All she had to do was use what information she had, at the right time. Words truly were weapons, and sometimes they were better than silly ideas that princes fell in love with stupid, whorish servants who had no business becoming queens.

Momentarily leaving her food, C.C. blinked up at her, "Can I help you?"

Prudence turned more in her seat, leaning one arm on the table and tapping her nails irritably against the wood. She still looked...not more annoyed than C.C. had ever seen her – right then her expression was tied for every other time C.C. had ever seen her annoyed.

"I could very well ask the same thing of you, _my lady_," the older maid practically spat the last two words, as if they were grievous insults. "Perhaps we all should've stood up when you came in? Pulled out a chair for you, and served you a steaming bowl of our food, cooked for us? Maybe you wanted some of our bread, too? The bread that we earned, but would of course give over if your ladyship asked because what other choice would we have?"

C.C. sat there and listened, her mouth slowly becoming a frown, but not truly understanding – what had she done to make Prudence say all of these things?! She hadn't come in acting high and mighty or anything like that (if anything, she had nearly slumped, after a moment where her body had turned weak) – she didn't expect special treatment for any reason, and she had been planning on minding her own business whilst she ate, and then leaving once she was done! She had yet to help Queen Marie prepare for bed, so the sooner she finished eating, the sooner she'd be able to go lie down in her room.

She was starting to feel like she needed to slip into her bed, and nobody could tell her not to fall asleep dreaming about the prince there...

But, first things first, she had to take care of the Head Maid. She was going to give her a piece of her mind at once! There was one thing that Prudence was conveniently overlooking whilst she went on her little tirade: ladies in waiting _did_ hold more standing in the palace than maids did.

She didn't know how she'd take any fighting back – the woman was so proud and self-righteous that it could all lead to a stalemate and nothing – but C.C. was going to try, even as tired and heavy as she felt. She'd already missed a great deal of Prudence's next attempts at belittling and mocking her, so she waited as patiently (trying a little to come across as bored or annoyed) as she could appear whilst she finished.

"...And up until you were just handed this new position, not one of them lot upstairs had even tried coming down here for it! I can only imagine you're not satisfied with the service you're getting upstairs so you came down here to demand we all worship the ground you walk on?! Like the way you think the prince bows to your every whim?!"

That notion was the straw that broke both the camel's back and C.C.'s pointed, waiting silence. Niles had never once acted like...like some sort of slave for her! She'd never asked him for anything, other than reasonable behaviour,

"Now hang on just a minute!" she cried, as loud as she could make herself without feeling dizzy (since when had that come on...?). "Since when have I ever asked anybody down here to "worship the ground I walk on"? I would never ask Ni–His Royal Highness...to do anything for me! He is his own man, and can do as he pleases. And I know you would never bow to it, Prudence – the only thing I can imagine you worshipping is yourself, you think you're so much holier than the rest of us!"

That immediately sent Prudence into a stunned fit of anger. The kind where she could do nothing about what had just been said to her because she didn't fully believe it had happened, but at the same time she knew it had happened enough for the anger to build. The only reaction for such an occasion was to puff out her chest in indignation.

A mere girl with ideas above her station had just spoken to her like that?! It was inconceivable! In all her years at the palace, everyone had kept their place and not moved past their boundaries, and now this little upstart thought she could just waltz in and take whatever she wanted as though she were their queen or something!

She'd never be their queen, no matter if that was what she wanted or not (and why wouldn't that slut enjoy the power?). Especially once she found out what Prudence had overheard.

When she'd eventually found the ability to speak again (instead of just making a scoffing and gasping noise) she did so with fervour.

"How dare you speak of me that way?!" she cried. "I am not the one getting the idea that I can just come and go and take whatever I please like some sort of arrogant, self-satisfied thief!"

"Excuse me?!" snapped C.C., getting back to her feet (a little unsteadily, but managing). "A thief? What have I stolen?! I only came here to have my dinner, like any other servant!"

Prudence scoffed loudly, almost as if C.C. had said something preposterous.

"Oh my! Has Her Ladyship compared to _us_, mere servants?" she said mockingly, ready to drop her big piece of news. "Now to what do we owe such honour, milady? You know, since now you are rubbing shoulders with your betters and thinking you belong with them! Well, you are about to have your eyes opened, you common little slut. You're no better than us and your only hook in the upstairs world is about to be released! The king declared it himself – Prince Niles is to be married by his next birthday!"

The words came like a bolt of lightning, straight into C.C.'s mind and her heart.

She didn't think that she'd heard correctly at first; she couldn't have, could she? It didn't make any sense! It sounded like...it sounded like Niles hadn't told her that he was going to be married...

"What...?!"

Her voice dropping immediately to a desperate whisper clearly pleased Prudence, but she was too lost to care. All she heard were the words being repeated with a smirk.

"His Royal Highness, Niles, the Prince of Wales, and your superior in every sense of the word, is going to be married by this time next year. He won't have time for you any longer once he is, so best enjoy being turned over and taken in every direction while you can, you pathetic little whore of Babylon!"

C.C. felt her heart, which had been repairing ever since she and Niles had had to part, crack completely in two again, and she staggered a little, the backs of her legs hitting the kitchen bench she'd been sat on.

No...

No, Prudence had to be wrong! What she'd heard must've been incorrect! It all had to be – Niles hadn't told her a thing about him getting married, and he'd obviously have to be the first to know! He was the groom, nobody got married without knowing so they could plan and get prepared, right?! King Joseph would've told him, wouldn't he?! He was a cruel man, granted, but he openly declared anything he did for his son! That had to extend to this!

Her mind was swimming already, and in that dark ocean of thought, sharks of doubt started to circle.

Unless...unless Niles had known already, and had known all along?

The crack in her heart splintered, and to her that felt like the truth being released.

Of course he'd known! Her mind was practically wailing at this point, all the images of her happy dreams vanishing in an instant and heartbreak starting to pour through the wound they left behind, quickly mixing with burning anger and annoyance at herself for being so naïve.

Of course he didn't tell her he was getting married! He'd never liked her in the first place – not for who she was! He was only in it for what she could offer him in his bed! And when she hadn't easily given in, like all the others, he'd simply come up with a ploy to win her over!

He'd played a manipulative game, and he'd nearly won it twice at the lodge. And the second time – the time she wasn't drunk – had nearly been her own fault! How could she have been so stupid, and not seen it before?! He only wanted her body, and once he'd used it, he'd drop her and find somebody else to use.

He didn't care about her – he never had. He hadn't changed, he'd simply adapted, biding his time until she'd let her guard down enough to get himself in.

She'd been a fool to think that...that he could have loved her.

Just like everyone had kept on saying, right from the start, it was an impossibility to think that there had ever been a chance. And now, the dream was shattered and the cold, lonely reality that would be her life was rearing its ugly head.

It'd always been there. The only difference now was that it was laughing at her for thinking she could escape it.

She'd been stupid to think she could hold his attention for long – that he actually would like to spend his time with her just for who she was and not for what he could get from her, and then grow to love her from there.

The prince didn't love anybody but himself. She should have kept that in mind the whole time, and not allowed it to slip away. She'd forgotten what she'd first told herself when she'd begun her job – she was no one. She was the ghost of the woman she'd once been, and that was just how it was going to stay. He would forget her, sooner or later (probably the former, all things considered ), and he would get himself a new toy. And then another, and another, and that would repeat ad infinitum until his wedding came, and then probably after that, too.

The thought of Niles smiling adoringly at any other woman pierced her heart like a dagger. The mere idea of everything she thought they'd had cracking and shattering like glass around her just driving it in further.

It very nearly made her cry.

But she didn't want to make a scene – not when she knew she had no right, and not in front of Prudence's smug face.

Like Icarus she'd flown too high.

Dreamed too much.

Now…now it was time to go back to reality. And as she went she consoled herself with the thought that least she would never be the woman he humiliated on a daily basis, by being unfaithful in a marriage.

Slowly, she picked herself back up and left her bowl and cutlery with the rest of the dishes to be washed, not looking at Prudence or any of the others stood around watching. She then turned back out into the corridor and began to head upstairs, trying desperately to harden her heart as she went.

Her mistress would be waiting to get ready for bed, and she didn't see any sense in wasting time getting there.

* * *

Marie hadn't felt quite this content in a long time.

Well, maybe content was stretching it a little – she'd be content when things were working out even better than they currently were.

Better than Niles and Lady Babcock spending their afternoons together to have tea. Better than her son appearing happier around the palace, and more content within himself than he had been before. Better than him and Lady Babcock spending weeks alone together at his lodge, just the two of them, where Joseph couldn't go and ruin everything that was building so nicely...

He had even been sending her letters, since he'd left. The girl had told the queen about them as soon as she'd received her first one, and Marie had been over the moon.

The girl was changing her boy. She was sure of it, and it settled her heart to know that soon everything could be completely right. She'd see they were together and settled and happy before Joseph could put his terrible, selfish plan into action!

There'd be a wedding, one of these days, but they already knew the bride. It might even happen before Niles' next birthday. And that was the thought that kept her happiest when she needed it, including right that moment.

Of course, that feeling dropped out of her like a stone as soon as her favourite lady-in-waiting stepped through the door she'd just knocked on, to come and help her prepare for bed.

C.C. looked absolutely miserable, like she'd been crying in the corridor and had tried to cover it up on the way there! She looked unwell, too – she was pale about her skin, and looked like she could curl up on the floor to pass out at any moment!

Of course, as soon as she saw that unhappy expression, Marie had leapt up from the side of the bed, where she'd been sat. Even in an instant, her motherly instinct to protect had kicked right in – and that included being angry at what she immediately suspected the cause to be.

Even if it killed her to think so, especially after having so many good thoughts and feelings, who else could it be? Who else dropped women like they were nothing to him, and had all of a sudden been treating C.C. like he thought she was special?

Who else would betray a person's trust like that, and not care because he'd gotten what he'd wanted?

If Niles had just been using that – the special treatment, the lodge visit, the letters, all of it – as some sort of advanced tactic to get Lady Babcock into bed, then Marie didn't really know what she'd do! Especially when she'd thought so long and hard that the only wedding they'd see in the future would be between the two of them!

She didn't know what would happen with that, now this had happened. But what she did know was that she had to find out what had happened from C.C..

Hurrying towards her as fast as possible and ordering every other maid and serving girl in the room out, she cried out as she put her hands on Lady Babcock's upper arms, "Are you alright, chérie? What on Earzh 'as the boy done now?!"

C.C. wasn't going to answer that – how could she? How could she possibly tell the queen that everyone thought she was just a stupid wench, whoring herself to the prince to get favours she'd never receive? Or that she was upset because she obviously wasn't special enough for someone to like her for herself? Or that Niles had just been using her for all that time, and now it was obvious and her trust had been completely broken?

How could she tell her, someone so high above her station, that she was hurting because Niles was going to be engaged to somebody else, and eventually that somebody else (whichever in the list she was) would become Niles' wife, and that eventually was going to be soon because the king was arranging it, and at the end of the day C.C. would just be the toy that Niles had gotten bored of before he could break her?

It was too much. It couldn't be done and it couldn't be changed. She was just an unimpressive, boring, unlovable serving girl. That was all she was ever going to be in life, whether she liked it or not. He'd only wanted her for one thing and she hadn't given it, so that made her useless.

She just had to get used to it. The toy had to go back on the shelf to gather dust, while Niles got his maids and whores and eventually a queen for a wife...

It was the cycle of life and she had to accept it.

But the queen was not to know this. Not when neither she nor her son were to blame for her own naivety and inability to understand her proper place. She was a simple servant, nothing more. A stupid slut, as Prudence had said. She'd been an idiot to think she and the Prince could be anything more.

"His Royal Highness has done nothing to me, Your Majesty," she replied, curtsying to her queen.

It was the truth, in some respects.

"Oh, please, my dear!" Queen Marie scoffed, frowning lightly, "Don't be afraid to tell me zhe truth. I know my own son like zhe back of my 'and – I know 'ow much of a womanizing cad 'e can be! If 'e 'as 'urt you, I want you to tell me."

Marie held her breath as Lady Babcock seemed to carefully consider her words. It was obvious to Marie that something was the matter with the girl – she could try and cloak her sadness behind a forced smile and empty words, but her eyes would always betray her.

They were windows to her soul. Painfully easy to read and a reliable proof of the turmoil within her heart.

It broke Marie's heart to see her so despondent. She still remembered the time he'd held the newborn Lady Babcock in her arms – Joseph had taken her and Niles to visit the Babcocks in an attempt to strengthen his relationship with her Lord father, the Duke of Bedford (and, coincidentally enough, the richest man in England). She hadn't cared one whit for the money – her interest had been on the little baby. The precious little thing that had grown up to be a beautiful woman.

In a world dominated by men, Marie knew from experience that beauty was a double-edged sword. It could land women in positions of great wealth and power, but more often than not, it also brought on heartbreak and loneliness.

Divine creatures, after all, were only to be admired, not listened to. She knew so well – her reputation as the most beautiful woman in Europe had resulted in her late father having to deal with a slew of royal suitors, each more powerful and richer than the next.

They had all wanted a wife – a pretty one at that, to parade around and to feed their own egos with her honeyed words or ecstatic moans of pleasure. None of them had been interested in getting to know her better. Back then she'd found their indifference rather off-putting and more than a little insulting. Now…well… now she knew that they had acted in that way because there had an unspoken implication (obvious to anyone but her) that she was to keep her mouth shut unless told otherwise. Women were only good to be fucked, looked at and to birth offspring. Nothing else.

Nothing more.

She didn't want that to happen to C.C.. From the moment she'd first seen her, she'd hoped the girl would grow up to know love. But not the kind of love all those men simply spoke about to get what they wanted even if they didn't actually show it.

She wanted the girl to have true love, where she was free to be herself and the man who loved her liked seeing her be herself. True love, that didn't hurt or try to upset – only to comfort, support or help. It was, as the Bible said, patient and kind. It didn't boast and it wasn't proud, and neither was it self-seeking.

It simply was. Gentle and pure. Steadfast and welcoming. C.C. deserved somebody who could give that to her.

And, as much as she wanted it to be true, Marie also knew that there was a chance that the man who could do all of that for C.C. simply wasn't Niles.

She might have been dodging something by not getting involved (but Marie had to feel sorry for whatever bride had to travel from her family in Europe to be with them instead...)!

She'd do all she could to punish the boy if the next thing C.C. said incriminated him. Even if he only smirked back and dismissed her, like her own husband often did. She would fight back if that was the case. She was sick of him turning into his father – finding out that he had hurt C.C., and would continue to hurt others, would be the tipping point of the cliff for Marie!

But what the girl said next truly did surprise her.

"He really and truly did nothing, Your Majesty," the girl insisted more firmly. But she then looked at the floor, perhaps ashamed and scared that she'd just spoken out of turn – and rudely, at that.

Not that Marie cared. She was listening to the words, not the tone.

Niles really hadn't done anything? She found that...maybe not as hard to believe as she would have done before, but still – it was something of a surprise! Finding out that he hadn't simply been charming his way into Lady Babcock's underthings was another (large) step in a direction she'd never expected her son to take!

But that did mean that something else was bothering the girl, and she had to find out what it was! She couldn't keep it to herself forever!

"Hm…I see," Marie said, "Well, zhen zhere must be somezhing else zhat's bozhering you, chérie," the queen insisted. "I know you are not well."

C.C. gave the Queen a wan smile and shrugged, "I think I am tired, Your Majesty, and feeling a little under the weather. It's nothing Her Majesty needs to be concerned about."

Marie wasn't so sure about that. She really did look unwell – perhaps she could ask for the doctor to come and quickly check on her? For being such a young thing (and considering she'd grown up surrounded by luxury), she certainly worked hard. Perhaps a little bit too hard.

"Chérie, if zhat is zhe case, I believe you need rest! You should be in your own bed, sleeping. Not 'ere, 'elping me."

"Nonsense, Your Majesty, I am perfectly capable of helping you," C.C. said, bowing to her again, "Do let me help you prepare for bed, and then I shall retire to my room."

Marie wasn't so sure she was going to let that happen. After all sleep – and plenty of it – was crucial for a person's health! How else was she going to function if her head and all her thoughts were clouding over, unable to be retrieved properly because she couldn't concentrate?

No. The girl needed to rest – Marie could quite easily put herself to bed for one night. She'd happily sacrifice it, if that meant Lady Babcock came back to her feeling refreshed. She cared about the girl deeply, and she wanted her to feel alright. And if that meant sending her off so that she could sleep for a day or two to get better, then it was a small price to pay for her friend's health.

"You may retire to your room right now, zhis instant," the queen sounded a little bit more insistent than even the girl had at telling her Niles hadn't upset her. "Zhat is, eef you can make it zhere wizhout collapsing!"

"I will not collapse, Your Majesty, I can assure you that I am––"

"Do not say zhat you are fine!" Marie told her sternly. "I will not stand for eet, when I can see wizh my own two eyes zhat eet eez not true. You need to rest, chérie. You 'ave obviously been working too 'ard, and eet eez catching up wizh you..."

Lady Babcock, unused to being on the receiving end of the Queen's anger, blushed a deep shade of red. She hadn't meant to anger her mistress – she only wanted to do her duty to her. Be a good servant, just like she always had been and always would be. But if her queen wanted her to leave, then she would do as her mistress said.

At least she had been told to go by Marie. Niles was still playing his own game, for all it was worth, and C.C. has simply opened her eyes to it.

"I…I apologise, Your Majesty," she mumbled, curtsying to the queen and trying very hard not to show her embarrassment. "Shall…shall I call for another servant to help Your Majesty get ready for bed?"

Marie pursed her lips – she didn't want the girl going around the palace unaccompanied. She looked weak and tired and could hurt herself when calling for someone else to come help her, which seemed like an unnecessary risk.

The queen shook her head, "I shall do eet myself, chérie. You go, and put yourself in bed."

With that, she ushered her away towards the door.

And, feeling even more now like she could burst into tears again (what kind of useless common wench of a lady-in-waiting was she?!), C.C. went without another word.

She didn't get very far into the corridor before she felt like she wasn't alone.

There was only one person it could be. One maid hadn't left when Marie had asked, because she was finishing preparing the queen's bed at the time. She'd been hidden by what she was doing, and she'd overheard everything that they'd talked about.

"Trouble in paradise already?" Ruth's voice hissed from over her shoulder, before the redheaded maid appeared at her side, grinning with triumphant malice. "Looks like your luck has run out at last, you little slut. Not even Her Majesty wants you around anymore, and she was the last to tolerate you, seeing as the prince will be married soon! Suppose that was only a matter of time, though – who'd want you around for more than five seconds? You're not very interesting when your legs aren't open!"

That did it for C.C.'s heart. She was too tired and weak to fight back, and as Ruth's spiteful bile mixed with the thoughts she'd been having about herself the whole evening (did...did it mean that everything she'd thought about herself was right, if even Ruth saw that Marie didn't want her?!), it broke out on her face in the form of heartbroken tears. She didn't see the satisfied chuckle Ruth gave. She'd already run off, sobbing, down the corridor by the time it happened.

And she didn't stop running until she was well into the gardens. She didn't care that it was night-time, or that there was snow on the ground that threatened to give her a chill – she could freeze solid, for all she cared!

She was just a useless wench of a servant, unloved and unwanted, and nobody would miss her if she was gone. She had no family, Marie had told her to go, and Niles would take other women and he'd soon have a wife too. And he wouldn't care, either!

He never had cared. It had all been a lie, feeding a delusional dream.

She wandered until she collapsed against the roots of the nearest tree, and wept for being a fool to think that she could be anything more than just a stupid wench that no one could ever love, and would amount to nothing.


	16. Chapter 16

_**Chapter 15**_

"Open the gates for His Royal Highness!"

The guard's cry echoed in the night-time air as the heavy doors to Whitehall Palace opened for the Prince of Wales. He had returned, at long last, from his survey and he was more than ready to be home.

He was more than ready for what he'd planned to do, as well. He'd spent days looking but eventually he'd picked out the most beautiful and magnificent set of rings in the best jeweller's he could find (and he went through a fair number). The two were part of a pair, called a gimmel ring, which would be joined together into one at their wedding ceremony for C.C. to wear for the duration of their marriage. They were all the rage in Europe, and Niles was determined for his bride to have the best of everything, including jewellery.

It was perfect, he thought. It couldn't have been a better symbol of two halves coming together and becoming one, never to be apart again.

And the gold band, set with rubies, garnets and emeralds either side of a larger, oval ruby and a princess cut diamond was the ideal ring for his beloved to wear for the rest of their lives. He'd be honoured to look after the ruby half, until the day they became man and wife.

He'd gotten that set - the most important set they'd ever own between them - alongside a number of other items that had all looked like they'd be perfect on her. Well, one or two items eventually became a whole chest.

About four others followed, filled with dresses and silks, furs and books, and other trinkets he just hadn't been able to help himself in getting!

Even if Maxwell had had to pinch the bridge of his own nose a couple of times, it didn't seem too much to the prince. He'd even taken to falling into daydreams about how she'd react, when she saw all the new things he'd picked out, especially for her. He...he sort of hoped that she might thank him with a kiss...

He nearly fell into one of those daydreams right at that moment, but he remembered where he was and how to conduct himself in front of his men.

"Excellent work, gentlemen," he slapped a couple of them on the backs as they went past to put their horses away, before returning to their duties elsewhere in the palace and the grounds, including taking the chests full of things to a safe storage space. "I might need a few of you to lend a hand in the morning, so don't get too comfortable in your other duties and be sure to rest well."

It was too late to go proposing now (she was probably asleep, given the time), even if he was practically buzzing with excitement and nervousness that came with the build-up. He already had their rings ready and waiting in his pocket, safely nestled in its little red velvet box. He'd wanted to have it on his person at all times, lest something happened to it on their way back.

Luckily for him (and after he'd checked once again), the pieces of jewellery had made it back home in one piece. It wouldn't be long until they sat pride of place on their rightful owners' ring fingers.

He'd go in the morning, after breakfast. They could take a walk in the gardens, and he'd ask there, in the bright, frosty light, surrounded by nothing but peaceful nature and maybe the song of a bird or two.

It was perfect, he thought, as he went to put away Albina, going slowly to plan everything out in his head as he went.

He had just about led her into her stable and had started to head back out towards the main entrance to the palace, when something bright and nearly entirely white flashed up in the corner of his eye.

That was odd. It couldn't be a pile of snow, could it? It hadn't been that kind of weather yet – it wasn't due to get that cold for at least another week, the people who'd worked the land on his

Curious, he spun on his heel towards the strange sight, and recognised it almost right away.

No. Not it – _her_.

And he knew, as his heart and stomach and liver and anything that felt in his insides dropped into an abyss that he couldn't reach, that he would recognise that particular "her" anywhere.

A few good feet away, curled up against the base of a tree, was Lady Babcock, collapsed on the ground and not moving.

At that moment, warning bells that sounded like the start of a siege or an invasion went off in his mind and all thoughts of what would (was supposed to – would it still?!) happen the next day fled. Fled just as fast as his footsteps carried him in that direction.

He had to get to her. What was she doing out here?! It was the middle of the night, it was freezing, and the floor was no place for anyone to be when they could be warm and safe indoors!

She had to be freezing, herself! How long had she been there?! How come no one had noticed and gotten her inside?!

"Lady Babcock!" he called out to her as he ran, stiffly and slowly from being on his horse all day and urging himself to move quicker, faster, no matter how painful it was.

She needed him more than he needed to stop. She hadn't responded to her name – she hadn't even moved!

It was only a few more steps – every time, it was only a few more steps! It didn't matter if there were only three yards separating them, or three hundred miles; it was only a few more steps each time! He tried again, desperately, as he continued to force his aching and now terrified body across the ground that separated them.

"C.C.!"

Still, there was nothing, and Niles let out a strangled noise which might have been "Oh, no...!", but was lost in his terror and the scrambling of his feet to get to her.

No...no, she...she couldn't be! The cold couldn't have worked its evil doings so quickly! She was strong, and she'd already come through so much! He couldn't be too late; he'd come back! He'd come back, with gifts for her and a ring, to tell her just how much he wanted to start a life together!

He could see it all, from their wedding, to the nights as he held her in his arms, to their golden-haired children playing in the grounds of their home. It couldn't be snatched away from him now – it wasn't fair!

He fell to his knees beside her when he finally got there, looking her over and shaking her by the arm and searching with fear in his heart and a pleading prayer running on a loop in his mind.

Please, please, please, don't take her away...not when they'd only just found each other...

"Lady Babcock...C.C., my C.C., my lady – please...! Don't go, don't go...stay here, stay with me!"

He gave a relieved sigh when her body rolled and he found that she was breathing still. She was only out cold, not...anything else. But they were held back and the terror crept in again when he reached up to get some hair out of her face and felt her forehead – it was boiling to the touch!

The realisation immediately made panic run him through like a spear or a sword.

She was alive, but she was clearly ill. Desperately ill.

Why was she out here by herself in this state?! Who had let it all happen?! He had to get her inside, and quickly! Whoever had let her go outside and had left her there to freeze, was going to pay. Everyone involved, from the guards who had seen a clearly sick woman going out into the night without so much as a cloak on her shoulders, to the maids who'd know her by now and hadn't thought of stopping her, would pay, with the full force of the law!

But the person who'd made her go would pay worst of all.

He tore off his coat and wrapped it around her like a blanket, pulling her into his arms and getting awkwardly back to his feet. He tried not to despair at her unconscious form as he hurried her back inside.

This wasn't how he'd imagined next greeting her, or holding her in his arms...

The palace was warm – so much warmer than the air outside that Niles felt like he was thawing out when he burst through the doors, taking care not to move so quickly that Lady Babcock would hit her head or her feet on objects as he passed.

He was taking her to his chambers. He didn't trust to take her to the servants' quarters – not when there was clearly a responsible party and any one of them could be suspects!

The way seemed endless, but at least they were inside, and heading upstairs without a moment's hesitation. And at least one friendly face was around. There, in the corridor and looking panicked, was Maxwell.

The duke started marching in his direction as soon as he spotted him.

"There you are! I've been looking for you all over this palace, and now at last you decide to..." he trailed off as soon as he spotted C.C. in his arms (and coat), his face contorting into one of sheer horror. "Dear God, what happened?!"

"Get Dr Potts up here right now! Tell him to come to my chambers – it's an emergency!"

Seeing the urgency and feeling it himself, Maxwell nodded and then sped off without another word in the direction of the doctor's quarters.

Niles, meanwhile, took C.C. straight to his quarters and tucked her into his bed, only removing his coat from her and nothing else. She needed layers to stay warm, and he wasn't going to show a blatant level of disrespect by removing any of her other clothes, without her consent and while she was unconscious!

He wasn't that sort of repugnant oaf – he never was and he never would be, no matter what other people assumed of him.

In the soft glow of the candlelight, he could easily see her usually fair and rosy complexion had turned dreadfully ashen. There were huge bags beneath her blue eyes, and her lips were dry and chapped.

She looked terrible, and seeing her clearly sickly countenance was like adding fuel to the fire of his worry. Whatever it was that she had, it was bad, and he was determined to make her better.

Making sure the covers were secure around her, he called for some of the maids to come with a nightgown. C.C. wasn't going anywhere that night – she needed to rest and to keep warm, and his room was the best place in the palace for that. His fireplace was rarely ever unlit, especially in the winter, and it made the place much more suitable for her recovery than the draughty, almost subterranean servant's quarters.

Besides, if he couldn't trust them to look after her while he was there, what would happen if he left her there overnight? It didn't bear thinking about!

Not that C.C. was aware of his thought process on the matter. She had come to just as he'd shut the door behind...someone...leaving. She was...very warm and comfortable (physically, not mentally), and clearly inside – completely and totally opposite to where she last remembered being...

She...she was in a bed! The...the _prince's bed_...?! But…how?! Had her fever been so high that she'd forgotten her own action? Had the prince taken advantage of her unwell state to trick her into going to his room?!

Oh, no...no, she couldn't be there! There was only one reason a woman ever was, and she was not going to let him humiliate her like he'd done to so many others! She'd break his winning streak. His chain, made up of the bodies of women he didn't care about, that he wore proudly around his neck to admire when he wanted, and for all the men to congratulate him.

He could go find some willing whore, before he turned her into one, and then dropped her for the next, and his new bride. And any and all that he added to his collection afterwards.

She couldn't believe that she had almost been tricked by him. But she knew better now, and it would take a man who could manipulate like the Devil to ever convince her to let down her guard again.

She shouldn't have been depressed before, about trying to accept being alone forever. It was easy to embrace, when she thought about how trying to get to the alternative simply wasn't worth it.

Men were men, and nothing would ever change. So why should she?

Pulling herself up and swinging her legs out of the bed, not even caring that her head was swimming, she started to get to her feet.

When Niles, who'd briefly turned away from the door, noticed what she was trying to do, he quickly hurried over to try and get her back into bed.

"Lady Babcock, please, stay where you are...!"

She attempted to swat him away, not caring if he was a prince or if refusing him would probably mean the end of her job. She didn't want it, if staying meant having to face him every day...

"I will not...!" she half-wailed, shuffling herself as best she could towards the door.

If she could make it to the corridor, she could call for help – someone else would come, and then he'd have to stop and she'd be saved. She could go back to her room and get on with...with...whatever she'd do now...

But the prince wasn't about to let her go.

Of course he wasn't. And of course he was just as determined to keep her as she was to go.

"Yes, you will! You are in no state to be wandering and there is a bed here, all prepared for you!"

Why did he have to be so focused on her?! Couldn't he just let her leave and find one of the other maids to take?! She might've been untried by any man, but surely that should make her less interesting? Less appealing?

Unless he considered it an arrogant, vain form of claiming her. Or maybe he thought her an interesting taste, like a dessert nobody had yet cut into at a banquet, and he wanted the first bite. The burning rage coursing through her body made its way to her heart at that, and she continued her uneven march.

"I...am returning...to my room!"

A pair of hands grabbed at her before she could reach for the doorknob.

"You are not going anywhere," he told her firmly, gently taking her arms and guiding her back in the direction of the bed. "You would never make it across the palace like this – you could fall, and injure yourself!"

Or worse, his mind conjured up before he could stop it. But it didn't matter, really, because he wasn't going to let worse happen.

He wasn't going to let anything happen to his beloved, not now or ever. He'd stopped her from freezing outside, and by now the doctor had to be on his way to help. However, and frankly surprising no one, the young woman wasn't going to do as she was told without complaint.

No...not complaint. _Anger_.

What was the matter with her?! Why was she acting like she was enraged? What had happened, while he'd been away?! Why was she struggling so hard, even in her weakened state?! She was going to make herself feel worse!

"Let me go!" she cried out as she was unwillingly sat down on the bed. She wanted to get back up again as soon as she felt herself on the mattress, but she feared another fainting spell would hit her if she tried. "I am not staying here so that you can––"

A fit of loud, barking coughing cut her off, and for a few moments, she was unable to do anything but try to catch her breath in between.

When she looked up again, gasping for air, she saw Niles looming over her, and a bitter part of her muttered silently about how it was surprising that he hadn't opened his britches to pull himself free.

She was already at the right height for one of the things he wanted, wasn't she?

"Not staying so that I can do what?" he asked, confused.

He had no clue what she was about to say, before the coughing had cut her off. Was it purely part of the fever, making her talk nonsense? She was certainly acting nonsensical – it was almost as though she didn't know it was him, and if she did, she didn't think that he was trying to help...!

C.C.'s mouth had already formed a line.

She didn't like him having the upper hand like this; not when it could mean that he intended to use it to take advantage. His words were very obviously teasing – he was trying to make _her_ say it. He was trying to get her to tell him what they were there for, and then he was going to start it, before she even had a chance to say no.

But before she could argue back about why he had to make her say it before he got on with it, there came a knock at the door.

Niles called for them to enter, and the door opened.

It was one of the maids, and she was carrying a nightgown.

Oh, God...

This really was it, wasn't it? He was about to do what he wanted with her and then she'd be cast out again while he'd go on to marry a foreign princess or a lady who had not lost everything, as per his father's wishes.

He'd probably pretend to care for a while with her, before that fell away too. And then C.C.'s own reputation would really be left in tatters, for something that had actually happened that time. All while the man who had caused it all would be allowed to get away with lying through his teeth and pretending that he loved anybody but himself.

"Help her dress," Niles ordered the girl, who was still stood meekly at the door. "Lady Babcock will be spending the night here, and will need assistance."

C.C. nearly cried out in protest at that , but the very act of trying made her head start to swim again. And the thought of moving all around by herself to get the thing on made her then think of falling, and of the hard floor that she'd probably meet before she could stop it.

Miserably, she realised that it wouldn't be the only thing she couldn't stop that night.

He was going to do what he wanted, and then when he was satisfied, he'd toss her out like waste food scraps. She just had to hope that when she braced herself, she wouldn't feel it too much.

And if it did hurt, she hoped it would be over and done with quickly.

She couldn't see the smirk on his face just after she'd conceded defeat and agreed to let the maid get on with it (what choice did she have, at this stage?). It took her a moment, just as the maid was helping her on with her gown, to understand that he'd turned away, making sure he couldn't see her getting changed at all.

...What?

Was...was he really was looking away…? What on Earth for?! Was it so that he could get some sort of sick sense of accomplishment when he ripped her gown open?!

He might as well look, and she would have snapped at him that he clearly didn't need her permission for that if he wasn't asking permission to take her, had the maid not spoken first.

"Help me with your arms please, Lady Babcock. You're going to need to keep them out for now, and change position again when I say."

C.C. did as she was bid, even if it was reluctantly and with a sense of bitterness. She supposed she ought to concentrate on letting the maid help her dress and undress, if she didn't want a confrontation before all of this.

If the prince could hurt her that way, he could do it in others, too. And even if she would put up a fight, she knew just letting it all happen would make things easier.

Not better. Just easier.

It was bothering her by the end that he never wavered once in looking away, as she got changed from her dress into the fresh, crisp nightgown.

He was clearly building his own anticipation.

"The Lady Babcock is ready, Your Royal Highness," said the maid as she got C.C. to (resignedly) lie down. "Shall I call for the Royal Physician? He is waiting outside Your Royal Highness's door, sir."

Upon hearing that it was safe to look, Niles very nearly spun on the spot to face them again.

He immediately wondered if the word "safe" was the correct one when he did – seeing his beloved in his bed, clad only in a nightgown, hit him like a wave of perfume, or an overpowering wine that could easily make him drunk.

His head was practically humming like a beehive, and his feet could barely feel the floor. She was certainly a…very becoming sight, right at that moment. Even if she was ill.

That last point made him snap himself out of it. She was ill, for Heaven's sake! And he hadn't even asked her to marry him yet, let alone done it! Did he really have no shame, to be thinking of her like that, when she needed his help, not his lust?! He had to keep his focus on what was most important, here!

And letting in the Royal Physician to do his work was the most important thing. If any man in the kingdom could help Lady Babcock to get better again, it would be him.

"Y-yes," he said, still reeling a little from before and trying to repurpose his mouth so that it would speak when spoken to. "Please. Show him inside, thank you."

With a curtsy, the maid went off to do just that.

Within a matter of moments, she had returned with the man himself. It was a great relief to have him there, Niles thought – he knew his father would never hire a bad doctor to take care of the family's ailments and injuries. It was more than likely that he had seen Lady Babcock's condition before, and that he would know what to do.

He knew he was only thinking about that because he was so worried, and in turn, because that worry served as a perfect distraction from the other thing he'd been thinking about. But he also knew that his feelings right then didn't matter, and whatever got Lady Babcock healed the fastest did.

The sooner she was better, the sooner he could start planning a new proposal. His old plan had died and been buried as soon as he'd realised how sick she was.

"Greetings, Doctor," he quickly walked to the physician. "Thank goodness you could come at this short notice...!"

The physician gave a low bow in return, "I live to serve my king and his family, Your Royal Highness. Now please, tell me what is ailing you."

Of course, he thought the problem would be something to do with him. Everybody knew that he'd only just returned from a long trip and he'd sustained some kind of wound on his way back.

Not that that was the case, this time.

Niles shook his head, "I am not the one with an ailment this time, Doctor. Your real patient is already in bed, if you might direct your eyes...?"

He then pointed the man in the direction of Lady Babcock, who looked like she could barely keep her eyes open.

The physician paled immediately, starting to clutch at the lapels of his jacket. To the outside world it displayed his worry, but he would say to them how would they like to arrive, only to find that they were being asked to...to treat one of the prince's...bits on the side?!

It was unseemly, in his mind, and he intended to – delicately – let the prince know how he felt. Especially seeing as His Royal Highness was now giving him a questioning look.

"Um...Your Royal Highness," he began, very quietly. "Might we...speak a little bit more privately?"

Niles didn't understand why he felt the need to do so (there wasn't anything to be said on the matter, was there?), but he agreed, nonetheless. If it was to do with the care Lady Babcock would receive, or (God forbid) what he already thought it could be just from looking at her, then Niles wanted to know it all.

They moved further back into the room, a small distance away from where he usually slept, to the point where muttering wouldn't be overheard.

And the doctor did mutter, in a fair amount of concern and agitation.

"Your Highness, you must understand that _I_ am a doctor for _royalty_; couldn't this possibly be a case for...well, a more common doctor? As she is one of your, um... whor––"

"Speak that word, and I'll have your tongue," Niles interrupted him sharply. He then calmed himself, just in case he had raised his voice and Lady Babcock could hear him. "I have asked you to treat a patient, and you shall do so. There will be no complaints, or calling of any names. Is that clear?"

He hoped it was. He hadn't meant to snap at the man, but when he banded around untrue statements that could directly offend the lady present if she was listening...well, Niles had felt he'd had no other choice!

This man was her best chance at becoming well again, and he wasn't going to have said man thinking so poorly of her (and aloud, at that) when nothing could be further from the truth!

And if making sure Lady Babcock got the treatment she needed and the respect she deserved involved putting the fear of God into the physician, then Niles considered it a small price to pay.

It certainly seemed to work, at any rate. The physician physically flinched at his words, before his pallid features started to mix with the flushed red that spoke of his humiliation in the matter. He'd never been spoken to like that before – indeed, the prince had often loudly boasted of how many common wenches and maids he'd had, all the while having wounds tended to, and he had laughed about them all.

It had never even crossed the doctor's mind that the prince might ever think to not use...the word he'd been about to say, but now was even hesitant to think! But he knew that he had no right to question the decision. Instead of even trying, he bowed again quickly.

"Y-Yes, Your Royal Highness...! I do apologise, please forgive me..."

Niles knew that the matter was over and done with (it would be more than the doctor's position was worth to disobey him), but he was going to make sure that it remained over. And that meant making sure that the physician didn't say a word against Lady Babcock to anybody.

"I shall forgive, this time. But if I ever hear word of you saying such things about this good lady again, then you may not expect the same courtesy I've granted today," he replied sternly. "She is under my protection, and I do not take kindly to your insults against her. Particularly when she is..._untouched_, by _any_."

That caught the physician like someone had grabbed his internal organs and squeezed.

The prince hadn't...? Not even once, with this apparently protected girl!? It didn't seem right or likely – the prince being the man he was, and this girl being so...well, everything the prince normally looked for whenever he wanted to have a girl!

How could she not have been touched by anyone? A girl like that, surrounded by young (and old) men who'd surely want a bit of the action...

It was practically flooring, the idea that they hadn't...!

What made her so special to the prince that he'd put off having his fun, in favour of protecting her? He had never been protective over his romantic conquests before — the one time the doctor remembered the Prince behaving in a manner that resembled protective, was when his late lover, the Lady Spencer, had been pregnant with his child.

And even then his attentions had been mostly for their unborn son, rather than for the lady herself. The Prince had certainly treated her well and had insisted that she be treated by the court doctor, but he had never been tender or...well...particularly _loving_ to her.

This behaviour was unlike him, and the doctor was more than a little puzzled by it.

"I...I understand, Your Royal Highness," said the doctor, bowing to the prince again, "I... I shall address Mistress Babcock with the respect—"

"The _Lady Babcock,_ Your Grace," corrected the prince, "This, Doctor Potts, is the only surviving daughter of the late Duke of Bedford."

That struck the doctor again, and he could only thank God that it was still just the prince's words and not his hand, at this point. He had done so much wrong already, without even thinking about it, and he had to have been treading a thin line by now!

He had no idea that this woman was the daughter of a duke! Even a late duke commanded respect still, and the girl's title still had to firmly be in place! It was no wonder the prince had been so angry! And if he'd known, the doctor would never have tried to address her as a whore!

"Oh...! I...Your Royal Highness, I..." the doctor felt himself starting to sweat. "I...I had no idea...! I–"

"That has been obvious from the start, Doctor," the prince stated. "But time is drawing on, and the Lady Babcock is more in need of the things that you _do_ have an idea about than I am over the things that you don't."

The physician cringed internally. The prince was right – he had been called in order to help someone with an ailment, and so far he hadn't even looked at the poor woman! That was about to change, and he wasn't going to let the prince down again, or insult his..._friend_, the Lady Babcock.

He nodded firmly, "Yes, Your Royal Highness. Please, forgive my tardiness..."

Niles wanted to tell him to ask Lady Babcock's forgiveness over his tardiness, but he decided to simply let the man head over and get on with his duties. He didn't want to delay her being treated any more than she already had been.

He wasn't going to leave the man alone whilst he did his job, though. He trusted him to do his job, not to get him wrong, but he didn't fully trust him to do it without saying something that could offend Lady Babcock again.

Besides, he wanted the doctor to see just how serious he was when he'd said that Lady Babcock was under his protection. He didn't know about the plans for the engagement yet, but he would, eventually.

When everything with his father was out of the way.

So, as the physician began to examine her, he seated himself on the end of his bed. Not on the same side that Lady Babcock had been tucked into, obviously – he chose the side that meant Dr Potts could see that there was no chance that either one could touch the other. It gave them a respectable amount of distance – the distance any gentleman would have with a lady he was not yet betrothed to!

It was just unfortunate that he couldn't tell if the doctor had noticed the gesture. But it didn't fully matter – as long as Potts did what he was supposed to be doing.

"Well now...Lady Babcock," the doctor looked over to Niles for instruction and approval when he paused in his sentence. "I am Dr Potts, Earl of Pembroke and the Royal Physician. Might...might I be allowed to take a look, and see what's going on here?"

Niles appreciated the new-found respect the doctor suddenly had for Lady Babcock. It was exactly the way she should have been treated in the first place, with no hesitation.

Not that C.C. saw it as the respectful help that it was. All her mind could do was try to puzzle through the reasons the prince could possibly have called a doctor into the room first for! Wouldn't he prefer that they were alone, for what he was about to do?! Wouldn't he prefer that she was weak, like she was, so she couldn't try to fight back?!

Why did he insist on helping?! He didn't care, and as long as he got what he wanted, why should it matter what state she was in?! The doctor was...checking her over...before she could even speak! But why?! What was the point?!

How could this help things go the way the prince wanted them to? Unless...

Unless the doctor was being ordered to check on...things down below! To make sure she was healthy? Perhaps. To make sure she was the virgin she'd claimed to be (although where would it have gotten her if she'd lied about that)? Almost definitely!

But before she could protest (and much to her surprise) it was the prince himself who warned the doctor.

"She is not well and must be examined, Doctor. You know this," he told him. "But I shall be watching, to keep any inappropriate behaviour at bay."

That must have sounded ironic, coming from him. But he meant every word that he said, mostly in relation to keeping inappropriate comments out of the doctor's mouth as he started the examination.

And all the while, C.C. could only gape.

The prince, the man who was about to take her by force and not of her own free will, was lecturing the doctor about inappropriate behaviour?! That felt like a laugh, interspersed with an irony that even a blind man could see! Did he think that it gave him some sort of moral high ground? That he was somehow protecting her from the "evils" of other men?!

More likely, he was just trying to save as much of her as he could for himself.

But, at the same time, he didn't sound like he was trying to rush the doctor along. He'd even openly said that she wasn't well (even if it wasn't as bad as all that)! So what was he trying to do, here?! Was he eager and chomping at the bit to take her in every orifice her body possessed, or was he just telling the doctor to do his job?!

She couldn't tell, and she didn't know if she wanted to know the answer! What if the doctor was in on it? What if he wasn't? What would happen to her in either scenario?!

Not that Potts was aware of her thought process. He'd just caught on to what was going on, but from Niles' own point of view. The point of view of the man who was currently watching the examination like a hawk, and clearly staying as true to his word and as true to decency as he could.

And the doctor was busy trying not to laugh to himself as he examined the Lady Babcock.

It wasn't malicious laughter. It was genuine, and happy over the situation. He couldn't say a word against what he saw happening there – not after the Lady Babcock gave another hacking cough, and Prince Niles murmured to her, reaching over to try and hold her hand through the process...!

The sight and the situation was too precious for that. And it made Potts realise that which the prince might have not even figured out yet.

He was in love. Nobody would be that careful and tender with somebody they intended to drop later that day, or night. Well, they could in theory, but they would have to be a vile, evil person to manipulate someone like that.

Prince Niles might have had many faults, but he was not as bad as those sorts of people were.

It became all the more obvious how much the longer the doctor saw the prince sit with the lady, throughout her examination.

"Does it hurt, or are you still feeling cold?" he asked quietly, not wanting to interrupt the doctor's process.

C.C. shook her head in reply, too confused for actual verbal communication. There hadn't been anything inappropriate for some time now, just as the prince had said, and she just wasn't understanding what was going on, anymore! This clearly wasn't what she'd thought it was!

But what was it, if he wasn't preparing her for taking?! What else would prompt him to truss her like a Christmas goose that he intended to feast on all by himself?! What _was_ the point of him being tender if he only meant to use her for one thing?!

He actually seemed to be caring, and yet she knew that he didn't! Was he doing it to will her to get better? So that he could have her when she was well? Was that his angle – that well women gave him a better time than sick ones?

She didn't know...she wasn't sure what she knew anymore!

"Do you need anything else?" Niles then asked, only further sowing incomprehensible seeds. "Another blanket, perhaps?

"I would suggest that one is brought immediately," interrupted the doctor, sighing heavily. "I am afraid Lady Babcock has pneumonia. And, my lady, I am afraid to say that in order to be treated, you must be bled."

He didn't like saying it almost as much as the two people before him didn't like hearing it.

Pneumonia? _Bled_?!

That was when C.C. really wanted to get up and run, but the terror kept her stuck in place. Only her voice was able to work, and it produced the kind of frightened, gasp of a cry that one might expect from an animal that was trapped, and facing a predator that knew no mercy.

They were going to take blood out of her body?! Why?! Was the doctor sure that it was pneumonia?! Could it maybe simply be something else, that she could perhaps be treated in some other fashion for?!

It couldn't be such an awful thing...

Niles was thinking along the same lines, even as she did, and his hand automatically closed tightly around hers. The prince had felt sick to his stomach even upon hearing what the doctor had said and suggested, as well. But he didn't protest, or order Potts to look for other solutions or diagnoses. He knew he wouldn't be wrong.

No matter how much he wanted it to be wrong, he had to accept the facts as they were. His beloved was even more gravely ill than he previously thought. He'd imagined a heavy cold – an influenza type of thing, maybe!

Not..._this_.

But she had to get better from this. There was no way in Heaven or on Earth that she couldn't! She had to make it through, to be his wife, and then one day his queen and the mother of his children!

She had to get better, for them to be happy...

The doctor had to save her, and Niles could only trust that he would.

He wasn't the royal physician for nothing – he was the best in the country. Renowned across Europe and celebrated just as widely.

However, there was a part of him that wasn't sure if he could sit and watch as the procedure was carried out. The idea of them having to hurt his beloved in order to make her better was heart-wrenching, to say the least, but he was well aware that he had to be strong for her.

He looked over at her, and saw the feverish look of fear in her eyes. He knew she knew what was going on, even though she was too sick, too weak and, by now, probably too exhausted to do anything about it.

The look on her face made up his mind immediately.

She needed him there, with her. And if he was going to be her husband (he was aware that she hadn't said yes yet, but he had high hopes and a positive outlook), he had to be prepared to be by her side no matter what, including the bad things.

And this was the worst thing that he could imagine happening.

Sighing, the prince gave a grave nod, "Do what has to be done. But please, save her."

"I will, my lord. You have my word," said the physician, gesturing for his assistants to come forward and start preparing everything to bleed Lady Babcock.

As the doctor prepared, the prince leaned over to speak to his beloved quietly. In the low candlelight, he hadn't seen it from a distance, but once he had gotten closer, he realised that she was shaking.

"It will be alright, my lady; it is all done to make you feel better," he murmured, hoping that she felt reassured. If not, there was one step further that he knew he could take. "If...if you wish, I can hold you through this...?"

Part of C.C. would have loved to be strong enough to slap him for even suggesting that she should get so close to him. Even if it would mean the end of her job, and a guaranteed home.

But the rest of her was telling her not to fight it. The thought of having to be willingly cut open was so many thousands of times worse than being held by him, even if he was a cad and a rake, who only ever hurt people and didn't care one bit.

Even if he was currently not acting like one, for reasons that were still unknown to her...

What other choice did she have, but to gently nod, just before Dr Potts cleared his throat to catch their attention back?

It wasn't long now, then, and they'd be underway...

The doctor addressed the lady-in-waiting just before the start; the moment that followed the bowl being placed under her outstretched arm.

"I am going to have to take the blood from you now, my lady, so I'll need you to keep your arm still as I do the initial cut, and then it will be a short process after that..."

He knew she could hear and that she understood – but he was going to try his hardest not to draw it out for any longer than he had to, and to reassure her whenever he could. It seemed to make his patients feel more comfortable when he explained, so he tried to do it as much as possible.

"It's alright, my lady," he encouraged quietly, taking out his surgical knife from his case and bringing it to her arm, but noticing her bristle. "Don't look, just listen as I speak..."

The procedure wasn't going to be nice; everyone knew that. Annoyed at having to do it, but also feeling like she had no choice from the fear that was taking over, C.C. could only hold onto Niles for dear life (which the doctor allowed with a warmth growing in his heart), whimpering every once in a while as she waited for the doctor to begin.

Niles held her just as tightly back, listening to the doctor's words as he got ready to start the procedure.

When the first cut finally came, she took it like a champion, in Niles' mind. He didn't know how she could stiffen and flinch and cry out minutely at yet somehow still brave the cut happening, when it would be so natural to try and run, or to let the cord be tied to let the blood flow down to the bowl.

It wasn't seconds before it started to come, staining the bowl red.

"It's coming nicely," the doctor said, keeping his voice calm to keep both his patient and the prince calm, too. "It won't be long, now..."

It was making Niles feel sick just watching the treatment, so he focused himself on his beloved, shushing and murmuring to her whimpering and trembling form while they waited for the procedure to end.

This was going to save her. This meant they could get engaged, and then married, and live happily ever after, as was right and as she deserved...

"It's alright, Lady Babcock...you are doing wonderfully...!"

Despite the doctor's reassurances and constant insistences that it was all going well and Lady Babcock was doing just fine, it seemed an age for them all before he finally got to them that it was over.

He didn't like seeming to lie to them – it hadn't truly been a long time, even if it had felt that way – but sometimes it was necessary to bend the truth to comfort his patients.

And Lady Babcock was in need of comfort, more than ever, now.

"There now; that should be quite enough," he said, removing the cord from C.C.'s arm and preparing to stitch and bandage the Lady Babcock's arm up. She had been an excellent patient, and he thought that she deserved to know as such. "You were remarkable, Lady Babcock, a good and brave patient…"

She probably wasn't feeling brave, Niles thought. But that was a debate he'd have with her at a later date, when she was well.

She carried it better than he ever would, that was for sure. She held onto him just as tightly as she had during the procedure when Potts stitched her arm up and bandaged it, but immediately let go when it was done.

Niles tried not to feel hurt by the gesture and failed. She wasn't even looking at him, and she didn't thank him for helping...

He still didn't understand her anger from before, either, but that was something else he'd figure out when she was well enough to explain.

They had to focus on any more advice that the doctor gave, after all.

"You are feverish, too, my lady," Potts explained with a frown to them both, when prompted to speak his mind by a look from the prince. "Something must be brought, in order to keep your temperature down."

Niles felt his stomach give a jerk, almost as though it were volunteering for him to do whatever it took to help.

"What does she need, Doctor?"

Potts appeared to weigh up options before answering, "For starters, Her Ladyship requires a cold cloth to be pressed against her forehead."

"I'll do that," he told the doctor, before turning to the maid who'd come to wait on them. "You heard the man. Bring a bowl full of the coldest water you can get, and a hand-sized cloth."

The maid, whether she was tired of hearing him order her to go fetch things for Lady Babcock or not, curtsied and dutifully went. It seemed an age before she returned, but when she did, she was carefully carrying a bowl full of water and had a cloth draped over her arm.

She set it on the table next to the bed, where Dr Potts was stood, "Will that be all, Your Royal Highness?"

Niles hoped it would be enough. And it was certainly all for the time being – he'd sit with Lady Babcock and hold that cloth to her forehead for as long as it took for that fever to break. He'd stay awake all night, if he had to!

"Yes, thank you," he nodded, letting the maid go back to whatever she'd normally be doing at that time of night. Probably sleeping, by now. He then turned to the doctor. "If you wet the cloth and then hand it to me, I will see to Lady Babcock."

"Of course, Your Royal Highness," the doctor did as he was told, taking the cloth and wetting it before wringing it out and handing it to the prince, unable to help feeling strange as he did.

This was definitely a new – and quite welcome, really – side to Prince Niles. It wasn't that the man often cared this much for anybody other than himself, and Potts knew he had to see how far the treatment would be taken by the prince himself.

"She will also need warmth, sir. And plenty of food and liquids, as well as rest. I will be coming tomorrow to check on her stitches."

"I will see to that," said the prince as he pressed the cold cloth to the Lady Babcock's forehead. "You may go now. Thank you, Dr Potts."

Potts bowed to the Prince, gathered his medical equipment and took his leave. He did so with a noticeable spring in his step – Prince Niles rarely thanked him for his services! Both he and the king weren't big on thanking people for the nice things they did for them; they were of the opinion that they deserved to be waited on hand and foot simply because of who they were.

They were right, of course – after all, kings and princes shouldn't be denied anything – but it was nice to receive some recognition for his services (apart from a more than healthy income provided by the Crown, of course).

He couldn't help looking over his shoulder before slipping out of the room through the ajar doors. He couldn't help smiling, either. The image of the Prince of Wales being loving and tender towards a young woman was something he'd believed he'd never see. After years of engaging in near-constant disreputable pursuits with countless women, Prince Niles had become rather blasé about them and their feelings. They were simple objects, in the prince's mind.

Or at least they had been…

Clearly, Lady Babcock was no object to him.

Niles wanted to see her get better. To laugh, and to dance, as a young lady might. But for now, there was only one clear course of action that she needed to take.

"How does trying to get some sleep sound, my lady?"

Had she been able to, C.C. would have kicked the covers off right that instant, jumped out of bed and stalked out of his room after having delivered a hard slap on his stupid face. How dare he act like nothing was going on?! How dare he stoop so low when it was clear that she was currently unable to defend herself?! He was after one thing and one thing only – sex. She'd much rather he was open about his intentions than have him play with her fragile heart.

But as things currently lay, she didn't have the ability to leave by her own means. She was stuck, but she'd first be dead and six feet under than fall asleep when he was around. The last thing she needed was for her to wake up with him on top of her as he did something unspeakable to her.

No, she was going to stay awake, even if that went against what the doctor had said.

"I would have to be a fool to close my eyes around you, Your Royal Highness," she spat at the prince, sticking him with a hateful glare.

Her words made Niles feel like he'd been struck. Everything about what she'd said was a huge red flag being frantically waved in the wind – from her tone to her use of his title instead of his name. It all but confirmed his worst fear: she was angry at him. Actually it was more like she was livid, and he simply couldn't understand why! Had his letters not arrived? Had she heard about that little harlot from the inn trying to bed him and was now blaming him? What had he done?! If he knew what was bothering her, he'd do everything and anything to make it better!

And the only way to find out, was to ask. Had he found himself in this situation with any other woman, he would have simply walked away and hoped that she'd eventually come round and warm up to him again. But she wasn't just any woman and the thought of walking away from her in this time of need was simply inconceivable.

He had to see this through, no matter what.

"Lady Babcock," he started meekly. "Have…have I upset you in any shape or form?"

Niles could feel his stomach dropping when her answer was a sardonic laugh.

"_Oh my_," she rasped, irony dripping from her every word. "Isn't His Royal Highness perceptive! Why would His Royal Highness even entertain the notion that _I_ am upset with His Lordship? Not that his latest slut's feelings and thoughts matter to His Lordship, as long as the bitch lowers her head and acts like a good girl and lets His Royal Highness get everything he bloody wants from her!"

Niles could suddenly feel the rage-filled, humiliating and painful slap that had been intended in her words. Sometimes a slap or a punch wasn't needed, to let the other person know how badly that had acted, or treated someone...

But in Niles' case, as miserable and annoyed at himself as he was (the way she'd spoken about him made him want to punch himself, it was clearly so bad), he hadn't got the faintest idea what the woman was talking about!

She was mad at him, he understood that now. But what on Earth was she calling herself his "latest slut" for?! The way she talked, she could only be referring to herself, but it made no sense that she would be calling herself that!

Since when had he not – well, not recently, ever since they had been spending actual time together, anyway – taken her feelings into account?! Since when had he asked for anything that he wanted – again, recently – from her?!

Come to think of it, he should have been asking such things out loud. Even as terrifying as it was (he didn't want to argue with her), he needed to let out the feeling. He needed to get his points across and heard. He needed answers, because right now he wasn't sure that the ones he had were enough to discover exactly why she was upset.

"What...what are you talking about?!" he almost cried back aloud. "You are not a slut of any kind, and whenever have I not taken your feelings into account, or your thoughts, or asked for anything?!"

The lady-in-waiting scoffed and rolled her eyes at him (though she regretted the latter only moments later since doing do proved impossibly painful, given her illness). He was playing the victim! He had the gall to pretend he had no idea about what he was talking about!

_Unbelievable_.

Honestly, she just couldn't understand how she'd ever believed he was a new man when it was evident he hadn't changed one bit. He was still the same self-serving rake she'd met when she'd first arrived at the palace. His "new attitude" was but an underhanded ploy to get her into his bed. And she'd idiotically fallen for it.

"Please, don't take me for a fool," she barked at him, trying to sit up in bed despite her weakened state.

It soon proved to be an awful idea, for the world around her started spinning at a dizzying speed, but she stood her ground. She couldn't appear weak. Not in front of him.

"You know what you were trying to do – _still_ are trying to do! You don't have to pretend anymore, _sir_. Take me, if that's what you want – break me in and relish in claiming another stupid servant. I know I can't stop you. But I promise you, I will never make the same mistake again. I will never speak to you again, even if I know that means nothing to you! I will forever rue the day I ever decided to give you a second chance!"

The ugly words poured out of her with the strength of a typhoon. They washed away the colour in the prince's face, as well as part of his heart with brutal force, leaving him dazed and like he'd been run over. Her words had left him even more confused than before, if that was possible. Whatever had he done?! And where had she gotten the idea that he was pretending to like her in order to take her to bed?! Had anyone put that idea inside her head? If so, who had done so? And why?!

But before he was allowed to get a word in edgeways, the Lady Babcock had somehow managed to get out of bed and was making an unsteady break for the door. She didn't make it, of course – she collapsed half-way there, body wracked by a fit of hacking coughs. He was at her side in an instant and quickly picked her up in his arms. He didn't care if she was furious with him – he was not letting her leave the room in her current state. She could kick and scream all she wanted; he wouldn't budge an inch.

And she was certainly giving a fight right that moment, screaming obscenities (all directed at him) at the top of her lungs as she tried to break free from his grasp.

"Let. Me. Go!" she demanded, punctuating each word with a hard slap to his face until both his cheeks were bright read. "Let me go, you bastard! How dare you do this to me when you knew perfectly well you'll be getting married in months?! How dare you trick me into believing you felt something for me?!"

He nearly dropped her from the shock of what she'd just said, halting in his tracks as he carried her back.

He wasn't confused by the last bit. Not the tricked-into-feeling part. He'd already been hurt by that, when she'd insisted that he was manipulating her to get her into his bed. Even if it did hurt doubly hard, now that he knew she felt (or had felt) something for him.

It was the first bit.

The bit about...getting married in months?! That sent him straight back to his first question; namely, what on Earth was she on about?! He wasn't getting married! He hadn't even asked her yet, and as things currently stood, he was more than certain that she'd say no if he did!

That wasn't right, though – she wasn't talking about them. She can't have been, when she had no way of knowing what he was going to do! So why did she seem to think that he was getting married?! Who would he be marrying, or when?! How could there be wedding arrangements going on on his behalf without him even knowing?!

Who had told her any of this, and why?! Was it simply to make them both miserable?!

He had to get it in her head.

"I don't know what's going on here, but I can tell you one thing for certain, and that is that I am _not_ getting married!" he replied firmly, cheeks stinging as his mouth moved in protest. "Who the hell told you that I was?!"

C.C. scoffed, "Why should I tell you?! You'll only go off and punish them for breaking your cover!"

And as much as she'd happily see Prudence punished for anything, for once she actually had to feel begrudgingly grateful. The older woman had opened her eyes to the betrayal she was about to suffer, and she'd managed to stop herself from getting hurt any more.

Hurt, but not shocked or winded, which was what she felt when Niles set her back down on the bed and crouched in front of her.

He looked her dead in the eyes as he did, "I'll only be punishing them for spreading malicious, untrue rumours! I don't know what you heard or who you heard it from, but know that I am speaking the truth when I tell you that I am not getting married!"

Again, the lady bore the pain in order to roll her eyes.

"_Of course_ you'd say that! You'd say anything to get what you want!"

"All I want is for you to believe me!" Niles shouted, getting more distressed by the moment. "If you don't want to tell me who told you, fine. But at least tell me who they got that information from?!"

The closer he was to the source, the better. He'd nip it in the bud once and for all, by targeting that person, and the vicious poison clearly spreading itself around the palace would evaporate into nothing!

Contorting her face into a snarl, C.C. finally answered after several moments in which she'd left him hanging.

"Alright. If you absolutely have to know, I got it from the head maid, Prudence," she snapped. "Who had overheard it from your father, King Joseph himself!"

The moment she finished speaking, Niles could suddenly feel his entire world turning on its head, shaking and quaking as it went.

His father was arranging a marriage for him?! Since when?! And why?! He'd never once given a damn before about whether or not he was married, so why would he bother now?

Niles dismissed the thought. It didn't matter! It didn't matter why or since when; what mattered was not panicking as much as he was and keeping a level head trying to figure out what to do now!

It was so typical of his father's underhandedness, though! Of course it would have all led back to him in the end! And there was nothing to do but believe it. The prince didn't usually trust that old woman Prudence, but she did love listening in where she shouldn't, including at the king's own study door.

And of course she would use information like that to drive a wedge between him and C.C.! She revelled in stuff like that! She was a minor issue, however, compared to what he now knew about Joseph. How could his father do such a thing?! He knew that the king hadn't been best pleased when he had become friends with C.C., but this was going to extremes to stop it!

But he wasn't going to succeed in stopping it. Niles would make sure of that, long before the deadline for this so-called other marriage! He couldn't stop him from seeing the woman he loved, no matter what he thought about her!

Not that having an argument with his father was foremost in his mind. The most pressing matter was getting it through to C.C. that he was not going to get married to someone else and that he most certainly did love her – that he desperately wanted them to have a life together, if she still requited his love.

He honestly hoped this hadn't ruined their chances beyond repair. He'd thought of nothing but her and the life they could have as husband and wife. She was the only woman he'd ever loved and he was not willing to let her go so easily. He'd fight for her love, even if it was the last thing he ever did.

"My lady...C.C., I promise you I had no idea of my father's intentions. I wasn't consulted or even informed of this!" he said softly, wanting to reach for her hand but refraining from doing so. He knew she wouldn't appreciate it. "I have no intentions to let my father decide who is to be my bride."

"Oh, spare me!" C.C. barked back at him, "I know your dirty tricks. I will not be taken for a fool – so, I beseech you, leave me be and let me go from this room! I will not be made a mockery of because you can't control your urges, nor do I desire to be in the company of a man who plays with women's hearts as if they were mere toys from a child's nursery!"

"C.C., I beg you, you must believe me!" Niles pleaded with her.

He could almost see his dreams of a life together disintegrating right in front of his eyes. He wouldn't stand for it – the pain of her rejection (especially when the reasons behind it were the result of a simple misunderstanding) was a kind of pain he simply wouldn't be able to get over. If he let her go away, he'd regret it forever.

"Give me one reason!" she said, poking him in the chest – decorum had long since been thrown out of the metaphorical window and she was far too angry to care about the possible consequences of being disrespectful to the heir to the throne. "Just _one_ reason why I should believe anything you say!"

The poke and the words must have triggered something in his brain, because Niles suddenly remembered something rather important: he had never taken their rings out of his pocket. He'd put them there when he and his men had set off to return to Whitehall! Everything else that had happened had served as a distraction, and he had never ended up putting them away.

And it now felt like it was burning a hole in there.

If she realised that he intended to propose to her – and _only_ her – then she had to understand that he had no idea of any of this!

This was it. It was a sign, it had to have been! He had to do it now, before he lost her forever!

He quickly fished around in his jacket, clenched the little velvet ring box in his fingers and brought it out.

"Because I would never dream of proposing or being engaged to two women," he said, bringing the box up and opening it for her to see. "And I had already hoped that you might be the first and only one."

C.C.'s eyes widened at the sight, and her hands went over her mouth, which had dropped open and was gaping.

She really hadn't expected this when she'd told him to give her a reason! She'd thought he would just tell her an "I love you" that didn't really mean anything, or try to kiss her, like the ploy that always seemed to work in the worst kind of romantic novels! Something she should slap him for and then storm out over!

But this...he really meant it, didn't he? She'd been wrong, this whole time; she hadn't even given him the benefit of the doubt! She'd been so sure that she couldn't have possibly meant anything – not really, anyway – that she'd ignored any signs that had come along!

She'd thought so little of herself that it had reflected back on him, giving her only the memories of what people had told her, and the things she'd seen before they'd gotten to know each other. Spent time together and actually...actually fallen in love.

She was in love with him and, because of her doubts and fears that he hadn't really changed, she had almost missed the fact that he had fallen in love with her, too.

The guilt would've hurt if she hadn't already been so overwhelmed. It softened the blow. Perhaps it didn't even matter, entirely, what she had believed before...

It couldn't take the place of what she was seeing now.

Niles swallowed, hope shining in his eyes as he shifted onto one knee, "I love you, Lady Chastity-Claire Babcock...so will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

C.C. stared at the set that she knew made up a gimmel ring, glistening in the light. She was almost sure her eyes would mist over to the point she could hardly see, but she fought through it to look at the wonderful pieces; a set she never thought she'd see.

Both golden bands were studded with emeralds, rubies and garnets, but one side was set with a larger ruby, while the other held a diamond.

The diamond and the ruby looked as though they would lie side by side when the rings were put together. Like a married couple, ready to spend eternity in each other's company.

The meaning was clear; so clear, it caught C.C.'s breath in her throat and held onto it.

This wasn't just any ring that Niles could have picked up anywhere. It was a set of rings that confirmed a promise. He would wear one half of that set for all of their engagement, giving it up only when it was time to make it into one ring – the wedding band she would wear for them, for the rest of their lives...!

He was making an announcement with that set of rings. He wanted to be with her, for the rest of their lives...it nearly made her want to cry out, it was so obvious now!

She couldn't hold back all of the tears in her eyes, but she wiped them away hastily so she could marvel at the sight again; the perfect symbol of their future together.

The stones in their metal holdings weren't the only thing that was sparkling, either – Niles' eyes were, too, with unshared tears.

He was overwhelmed, too. He had never imagined that it would have to be like this, but the moment had come and it had hit him with the full force of a cannon. He was doing it – he was proposing, just as he had been dreaming of doing since he'd been on the survey!

C.C. couldn't believe she hadn't seen it before – the truth in his words seemed so clear, now she wasn't doubting him! He had no idea that he was supposed to be getting married – why would he bother with this if he'd known all along...?!

Why would he do it - all of this - if he didn't care about her?

If he didn't...didn't love her? Just as he had said, without falsehood or manipulation just now?

This wasn't the worst sort of romance novel, or even the best. It was beyond anything her fantasies while he'd been gone had come up with, and it...warmed her, to the point of tears.

He'd come back. For her, and he was intending to stay.

There was only one thing she could say (through tearful laughter) to that, as her hands slipped away from her mouth to wipe at her eyes and her head started nodding of its own accord.

"Yes...yes, I will marry you...!"

And with a cry of delight, Niles picked her up in his arms and brought her into the tightest embrace he could muster, pressing his lips to hers over and over again until they both were breathless and absolutely had to pull away.

Married...he was going to be married! He'd spend the rest of his life with the woman he loved, and no one would take it away from them!

No one could take it away from them. Not even his father, with his ridiculous plans of getting him married off to some foreign princess. He'd first die than renounce to his happiness with her! He would have to talk with his mother about the recent developments – if there was a wedding underway, she'd probably know about it and Niles was intending on demanding an explanation.

And even if it came down to the worst case scenario and his father refused to let him marry C.C., they could always remain engaged until he was king. They'd live in sin together and he would take no wife. Any children he fathered – and he was certain they would have children – would all be acknowledged and subsequently made Dukes and Earls. His family would be given riches and an estate of their own. Whether his father liked it or not, C.C. would be the only woman in his life.

But now was not the time to think about the future – it was time to celebrate the present; celebrate their engagement, just the two of them.

He began to kiss her again, quickly pocketing the rings so they wouldn't get lost or damaged while they indulged in their kissing – there would be time to slip them on later. The kisses were growing even deeper than before. It caused a low moan to issue from C.C.'s throat, and she responded by gripping his shoulders tightly.

It felt good, and it made him want to make her feel good, too, but he quickly reminded himself that she was unwell and that making love to her would have to wait until they were lawfully wedded in the eyes of God. He'd promised himself he would do good by her – make an honest woman out of her – before even thinking about consummating their relationship.

He knew how to pleasure a woman. Years' worth of frequenting brothels had taught him exactly how to please (and be pleased) in bed. When the time came, he would cherish her and adore her body as though it were the incarnation of the divine. She deserved nothing but the best of treatments.

But she would have to wait. They both would. While she was still unwell, she wouldn't get to experience anything in its full intensity. Not when her body was still fighting the awful thing inside it that was making her so sick and weak.

It wouldn't be fair, in a lot of ways. She needed her rest, and he'd just be depriving her of it. Her health came first; it always would.

Cupping her face and bringing her in so that he could place a gentle kiss on her forehead, he murmured against her still too-warm skin.

"We should get you back to bed. You need your sleep..."

He lightly felt C.C.'s hands brushing against the front of his shirt, her fingers stroking tentatively, like she was unsure of how to proceed with what she was trying to do, but willing to find out.

"I'm not too tired, if you want to celebrate the night..."

The prince shook his head, nuzzling against her, "We'll celebrate when you're well. And we'll get to have the grandest celebration of all when we are finally married."

C.C. looked up at him for a moment, her eyes apparently searching and questioning what he'd said. It was almost as though she had been expecting him to want it still, but it quickly left as the sickness in her body brought on a wave of sleepiness that she couldn't ignore.

"Hm...alright," she said at last. "Stay with me, though?"

She was clearly worried that him saying no to...activity...meant that he was going to leave his room and find somewhere else to sleep for the night.

But it didn't. Niles wasn't even thinking about going anywhere, or leaving his new fiancée (that sounded so wonderfully right to say!) alone. He knew how to behave around women, even if past experience might have made people believe otherwise.

They could share a bed with nothing happening. Easily.

"Of course," he replied, kissing her cheek softly before leading her back to where she had been previously. "Come on; it's time for bed."

She stopped him before he could get her there, though.

"Wait...we're forgetting something..."

Niles cocked his head at her, his brow becoming knitted. What could they possibly have forgotten at a time like this?

It wasn't until she wiggled her still-bear finger at him that he realised what she meant.

"Oh...!"

After a moment in which he had to apologise and feel very awkward about being so swept up that he'd actually forgotten to give her the half of the ring that was hers, before putting on his own, he had settled her back down on the floor, grabbed the rings back out of his pocket and rectified the situation entirely.

Her ring fit as perfectly as he had hoped it would, and his heart swelled with joy and excitement at the prospect of it soon being joined by its other half, which was soon slipped gently – almost with reverence – onto his own finger.

C.C. then let him carry her back to bed (playfully demanding that he finish what he'd started), and he allowed her to snuggle into his sheets and pillows, all the while thinking about how that was how his future was going to look.

Minus him having to put the cold compress on her head, of course. He was certain that would not be an everyday affair – it was limited to times like this, when she was sick and needed it.

He changed into his own nightwear behind his screen, and when he came out, he found that she' already fallen asleep, the wet cloth still pressed against her head. Good. The cloth would take care of her fever and she needed the rest. If she stood any chance of getting better, she was going to need to get as much as possible.

Trying not to disturb her or the cloth as he climbed in, he snuggled up close and held her. Not so tightly that he'd accidentally make her warmer, but enough so that she would know and benefit from his comfort.

After so much travelling and so much excitement, it wasn't long before he fell asleep as well.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Chapter 16**_

Joseph stormed along the corridor to his son's room, opening doors too loudly and letting them smack into walls, not caring if there were people around who could be sleeping or not.

It was his palace and he could do as he damn well pleased.

His sour mood was due to the fact that he had something of a bone to pick with his son, whose door he could just make out around the corner from where he currently was. And he wasn't going to stop and waste time over things that didn't matter when he could be getting there.

Whenever Niles went away on any sort of official business, or even for a hunt or to go to a particularly far-off brothel, he would always come back to his father and be welcomed back, the night he got to the palace! But, this time, he hadn't turned up!

It had been hours now, and Joseph had been up all that time waiting! He'd even put off taking Marie for a third time, just in case his son happened to arrive! But the boy hadn't come, even when the stewards announced that he was definitely back in the palace. And he wasn't sick or injured, either, because that would have been announced, too!

He was going to demand some answers from the boy, he could say that much!

He got to the door, and he burst through it without knocking...

Only to halt in his steps, as he looked up and saw just what was going on in that room. Niles was asleep in his bed. But he wasn't alone. There, pressed flush against him in his arms, was Lady Babcock.

Joseph's mouth twitched into a smirk.

So, the boy had done his manly duty at last! No wonder the boy hadn't arrived (not in that sense, anyway). He'd probably been pounding that prime piece of venison so many times, the butcher wouldn't have to prepare her to make any steaks!

Not that Niles would be tasting her, though. That was a treat for wives (they were lucky if their husbands did it all the time – he only did on rare occasions, when he felt like it), and a right and a privilege that men should always have, when they got the sluts on their knees to enjoy some sausage.

Well, whether they enjoyed it or not, he didn't care. Not as long as they put it in their mouths and didn't take it out again until he told them to.

But he was falling into a daydream. He had to think about what was going on in front of him! His boy was going to ditch the whore sooner or later, and then he wouldn't have to keep to all the terms of his agreement with Marie!

He enjoyed being able to take her like a slut when he wanted, though. Perhaps he wouldn't tell her for now, and let the agreement be broken by what Niles was doing, whilst still reaping the benefits?

He could go back to doing exactly what he wanted. In this case, that meant _who_ he wanted, and who he was going to get now that Niles would do the hard part for him. He was hopeful that, maybe, there would just be enough meat left on the Babcock slut for him to enjoy a hearty meal himself...

There was actually just one part of the image that made no sense with his thought process, and it clashed until it started to bother him.

It was the fact that, beyond them clearly both being in nightwear and not naked, they were...cuddled, with his arms around her and her head on his chest, one arm over his middle. It was almost as though they were lovers instead of a man and his whore.

Joseph wanted to scoff and roll his eyes. It was almost as though the boy had forgotten everything he'd ever taught him!

Whores did not get to sleep in the bed with the man who took them there! They were there as long as the man said and then he told them when to go! And there was no point to either being in nightwear, either. A man needed to get quick access to every hole a woman had, and the fabric just got in the way!

That was why he'd been making Marie sleep naked, ever since the agreement began. He wasn't going to fumble with her nightdresses in the dark if he decided he'd come in and start taking her while she slept.

It was fun, having her wake up and realise what was going on, and then knowing she couldn't do a thing about it. He didn't actually enter her while she was asleep (that was a little bit too much, even for him) – he just started touching her until she roused and, as per their agreement, she had no other choice but to open her legs for him. He always paid special attention to the pleasure points he knew were hidden all over his wife's body.

She might have been older now, but Marie was still a fine, beautiful thing. Joseph remembered just how proud of himself he'd been when Marie had first arrived at Court. Back in the day, she used to be called the Flower of Europe and was considered to be one of the most beautiful princesses on the entire continent. He'd paid a fortune in order to marry her and had even relinquished his right to receive a dowry from the King of France. She had finally been sent with what the French Court had considered a "minor" sum of money and "a few" possessions. In reality she'd been sent with more than enough money to pay for her life at court for an entire year and over one hundred chests filled with clothes and jewellery, as well as trinkets, books and fine furniture from Paris.

He'd organised countless parties and paraded her around so that every man and woman could take a good look at the gorgeous specimen that was to be his wife and mother his children. He was certain he'd been the envy of an entire country (and probably other countries as well). Bedding her had initially proven…fun, but not as thrilling as he'd hoped. Then again, sex with royal wives rarely was the stuff of legends. That was what lovers and whores were there for. For years he'd refrained from fucking her like he would have liked (again, royal wives were supposed to be treated with more respect than whores were), but now he was finally getting to bed her like he'd always wanted.

It was the ultimate thrill – fucking his queen like he would have a slut.

His son could carry on with his own little slut for as long as he liked, but the queen wouldn't hear it from him. He'd milk their agreement for all it was worth or until he got bored. Whatever happened first.

But just as he turned on his heel to return to his chambers, the king came face-to-face with an obviously livid Queen Maire. She'd followed him to their son's room.

The self-satisfied smirk of a man who had a plan disappeared the moment he saw.

It was instead replaced with a look of fear and dread. And he knew that he was right to feel the way he did, even if he would never admit it to anybody. He knew he was right from the moment he saw the fires of Hell blazing back out in his wife's eyes, ready to turn the whole room to ashes in order to incinerate the one person who'd displeased her.

When Marie was annoyed, upset or angry, he could handle it. When she was like this – namely, ready to rip a man's throat with her bare hands – he preferred to be somewhere else. Scotland, for instance.

There was only a small amount of relief in guessing that he was not the cause of her ire tonight. She would have caught him before now, if that were the case.

And the next words out of her mouth proved his theory to be correct.

"Your son eez a disgrace, and a shame upon zhis country! I 'ope you are pleased wizh yourself–"

Part of Joseph wanted to reply that he was, but the rest thought better of it for the time being. He'd tell her that he was later.

Besides, he did also have to kick himself over the fact that his plan to keep the terms of the agreement being broken a secret hadn't worked. But he'd pick himself back up from that, somehow. Probably with a glass of wine in one hand and an actual whore's arse cheek in the other.

"Because you leave me no choice but to see to _your_ mess myself!"

In the back, there was a rustling of sheets as Niles started to stir.

"Hm...?"

He must have been woken by the sound of his mother's irate tone, even if his companion didn't appear to be bothered by what was going on around her. He shifted and turned, before wiping and opening his eyes and squinting up at them in the dim light of the candle on his bedside table, which was almost out.

He was soon wide-eyed.

"Mother...Father...?!"

Joseph shook his head, "Not me, boy. I'll talk to you at breakfast."

With that he turned, and hurried away from the chaotic anger that he knew would rain down on the boy from his wife at any moment. He slammed the doors behind him for good measure and went to remove his things from Marie's chamber. He'd been sleeping there most of the nights ever since their agreement had begun, but now that it was officially over, he knew he wouldn't be welcome.

At least not for a long time.

He could live in hope she'd let him inside (her room and her body) again at some point in the future. Still, at the present moment, the safe place for him (anyone, really) to be, was as far away from her as humanly possible.

Speaking of Queen, Marie was still glaring at her son and carefully considering whether or not she was about to commit filicide, all while an anger such as she'd never felt before burned in her heart.

He'd done it. He'd swept back in after his trip, seen a helpless woman on the way to her room for much-needed rest, and he'd taken advantage.

How dare that...that...not even a boy, that _pig_, do such a thing as to go back on his word and betray not only his mother's trust, but that girl's as well?! Whilst she was sick and had already been sent off to go to her _own_ bed no less, and so weak that she couldn't say her mind on the matter, or try to fight him off?

She'd thought that he'd been truly enjoying himself just getting to know her! If Marie had realised he was just doing it to either manipulate her into getting into his bed, or as the case stood (and was so much worse, in Marie's opinion), waiting for an opportunity to seize what he wanted, then she would never have left them alone in the same room together! She certainly wouldn't have, if she'd known that he'd just force himself on her like some kind of an animal!

He was just like his father.

And that was what hurt the most.

The prince must have known he was in hot water, for he quickly jumped out of bed and rushed to his mother, arms outstretched almost as if to soothe her.

_Fat chance. _

"Mother, this is _not_ what it looks li–"

Niles never got to finish, for Marie interrupted him by delivering a swift (and painfully hard) slap to his cheek.

It actually made Niles stumble backwards a few paces, his cheek smarting and throbbing from the delivery. He tenderly felt the area and winced. He still hadn't fully recovered from the one C.C. had given him earlier, so he was more than certain that there would be a bruise there in the morning...

No wonder they liked each other so much! They could tutor young ladies in grand households about the fine art of slapping rakes and cads!

Before he'd even managed to stand upright again, his mother had rounded on him once more, hissing to keep her voice lower than had been. She could see that C.C. was still heavily asleep. It was best that she stayed that way. When she realised what had happened, she was going to be distressed enough – she didn't need a one-sided screaming match (and it would be one-sided, because if Niles knew what was good for him he wouldn't try to argue back) waking her up and adding to her stress.

Marie thrust a finger in the direction of his bed.

"What on Earzh do you zhink you are playing at, boy?!" she demanded to know. "Do you have no shame whatsoever?! Zhat girl eez not well, and you waltz back into zhe palace, and zhink zhat you can just take advantage of zhe first woman you see by 'erself?!"

"Mother I did not–"

Again, another slap cut the prince off. It was just as painful as the other three he'd already sustained and it briefly made him wonder if this was why his father seemed to vanish into thin air whenever Marie was in a rage. Niles almost smiled at the idea of his father running away from his mother with a smarting cheek and his tail between his legs, but given the fact Marie was still probably about to kill him he refrained from doing so.

Survival had to come first and foremost, if he wanted to see the day when he and C.C. would finally tie the knot, and to ensure it he had to make his mother see that he hadn't slighted C.C. – show her that he loved her and intended to marry her.

He had his own questions for his mother, but he'd ask them in due time.

"Mother, please, listen to me!" Niles pleaded with her, managing to grab at Marie's hand when she once again swung at him.

But his mother had no interest in whatever he had to say. She tried to use her other hand to slap her boy silly, but again Niles grabbed at it before it was able to make contact with the tender skin of his cheeks.

He'd gotten enough slaps to last him a lifetime, as it was.

"Let my 'and go right zhis instant!" she demanded, struggling to wrench her hands free. "You 'ave no right to be 'eard! You crossed a line when you decided to force yourself on an innocent woman!"

"I did no such thing!" Niles replied, trying to keep his voice level so as not to disturb C.C.'s sleep. "Mother, I found Lady Babcock outside; she was out cold and I brought her inside and had her checked by Dr Potts. She has pneumonia, so I thought it best for her to stay here, especially after I'd…oh, I don't know… asked for her bloody hand in marriage!"

Marie staggered as though she'd been slapped after that.

Had...had he just said marriage?!

She couldn't have heard it right, could she?! Her boy wasn't the type; not yet, anyway! Even if he had been getting better than he had been for the longest time, surely there was a long way still to go before he actually thought about that...!

It must have been something else! It must have!

"You asked 'er for what now?!"

Silently, Niles pointed at C.C.'s hand, which had slipped free of the bedcovers in her sleep and clearly displayed the half of the gimmel ring he had put on her finger mere hours ago. To make a point, he then ripped his own hand from his mother's grasp and showed her his own, too.

"Is this enough proof that my intentions are honourable?" his voice kept a hard edge to it, ironically having to describe the happiest moment of his life so far. "I love her, Maman, and I want to marry her. I won't lose her, either - even if Father is trying to find a way around it."

But Marie wasn't fully listening to that. Her head had pushed aside everything the moment her boy had told her that he was in love with C.C.. He wasn't like his father after all! He had found his true love and had grown out of the disgusting behaviour that she'd once feared would be his whole life! He was getting married! Her little boy was going to be married and he was so adamant, so she knew he would be happy...!

Completely ignoring the look on her son's face, she rushed forward and embraced him with a cry of delight.

"Oh, my boy...! Oh, you are going to look so 'andsome on your wedding day! C.C. will make zhe perfect bride, eet was obvious to me from zhe moment I realised zhat you were–"

"Maman."

Niles' interruption was designed to get her to stop, before she went completely over the top with excitement. He was trying to discuss something important with her that could affect everything about his wedding, and she was just completely in her own world at the news in the first place!

She didn't even notice that he'd spoken.

"And of course, you will 'ave to choose a new stately 'ome – zhat lodge of yours eez not suitable for a growing family! I–"

"Mother!"

He only spoke just a little bit louder than previously, but the edge of sharpness was enough to get Marie to start. That, in turn, was enough to bring her back to the real world with a jolt, blinking and looking a little flustered.

"Oh...! Niles, please, do forgive my outburst. Zhe very zhought of you marrying your sweet'eart ran away wizh me!"

Niles could only agree that the image did the same thing to him, but he wasn't trying to have a further discussion. He quickly moved onto what he really wanted to know.

"What is this about Father trying to procure an engagement for me? Why is he doing it? What purpose does it serve to have a marriage arranged for me yet? And why did no one tell me?!"

His mother nearly took a step backwards, apparently bewildered and shaken at his words.

"'Ow do you know about zhat?" she asked, quick but quiet, practically hissing. "Which person told you? I was going to do eet myself!"

She sounded in two minds over the whole thing; like she was afraid they would be caught even having this conversation on the one hand, and like she could violently explode at the person who'd told him on the other.

Not that it currently mattered who had told him. What mattered was why his own mother had apparently failed to do it first, when she knew how vital time would be!

"Then why didn't you do it?!" he argued back at her.

"Because of zhe fire!" Marie explained, getting frustrated at his own agitated state. "I was going to tell you, but zhe fire kept you and C.C. away at your lodge! I wanted you bozh to enjoy yourselves, and not 'ave to worry about anyzhing 'ere...!"

Niles felt his insides soften a little. His mother had only been thinking of them, when she'd held off telling him the truth. It had been disastrous, yes, but she couldn't have had much - if any - idea that it would lead to this. She'd given them time; time he'd spent with C.C..

"But why is he doing this? Why now?" he asked, not as hard or harsh as before.

His mother looked like she didn't want to tell him anything more at first, perhaps because she was worried of what would happen when the king found out that she had told. It was surprising, considering he'd bolted the moment she'd gotten enraged, but Niles knew that she wouldn't be going into any confrontation over this enraged.

Joseph would have the upper hand if that happened.

Eventually, she sighed in resignation and told him.

"Your fazher was...not pleased, about your budding friendship wizh C.C.."

Niles felt like he could have told her that, but he let her continue without interruption.

"'E came up wizh zhe notion zhat per'aps you needed a bride. A true princess, or a noblewoman of standing, to match your own position and to keep you from C.C.. So, 'e decided to arrange a match for you, to 'appen before your next birzhday."

Niles' jaw dropped. His father didn't like the fact that he and C.C. had become friends (he already knew it would be at least partially because of her standing), so he had decided to arrange an entire wedding to make sure they were kept apart?!

What kind of an insane notion was that?!

But his mother wasn't even finished, though she sounded sadder than before as she went on.

"I did not agree wizh his views. I felt zhat eef you and C.C. were 'appy togezher, zhen I was more zhan 'appy as well. I wanted you to 'ave your chance, so I struck a deal wizh your fazher."

Niles' face shifted into one of curiosity, and then horror, as Marie described the terms of their agreement to him. No detail was left out, either; it wouldn't be fair to him to not let him have the whole picture.

All Niles could think about fairness was that none of this had turned out fair for his mother. She had basically made herself a sacrifice, so that he and C.C. could have a chance at love!

He didn't understand how his father could just...just... _use_ his mother like that, to humiliate and make a toy of her, all selfishly and to make her feel humiliated! Just because he didn't like the fact that he and C.C. were spending time together! Did the man really hate them together so deeply that he'd hurt and shame his own wife, because she'd let herself become their substitute for punishment?

Niles had never felt a greater appreciation for his mother than right then. She'd protected them for all this time, and hadn't said a word about it!

And as she finished what she was saying, it was Niles' turn to put his arms around her.

"You shouldn't have," he whispered into her ear as he rubbed her back, all in an attempt to wash some of her pain away, even if he knew it wasn't that easy. It never was. "You shouldn't have let him do that to you…"

"Nonsense," Marie replied, giving her son a wan smile. "You know I'd do anyzhing for you and C.C.'s 'apiness. Zhis was just a small price to pay."

Again, Niles felt a wave of love for his mother washing over him. He couldn't understand how he'd ever favoured his father over her, but he knew better now. Much better. He was also certain that it _hadn't_ been a small price to pay – it had been a crushing weight hanging over her shoulders. And yet, she'd put up with it, all for his and C.C.'s happiness.

From now on, she would want for nothing. If his father wasn't going to honour his promise to love her and protect her, then Niles would. He would make sure she never spilled a tear. Never again.

"Still, both C.C. and I are in debt to you, Maman," he insisted.

The Frenchwoman smiled devilishly at her son and patted his chest, "As long as you give me grandchildren, zhen I shall consider our debt paid in full."

Both mother and son shared a light laugh. Of course she would want grandchildren! Marie had always dreamed of a big, happy family, but his father had shot her dreams down and managed to trap her in a loveless union and a broken little family. He'd even tried to harness Niles to his side by making him into a little copy of himself.

But not anymore. The last thing Niles wanted was to end up like his father. He would be a faithful husband, a kind and loving father and a generous monarch. He'd learned from his mistakes – Joseph was the last person Niles wanted to be like.

"I'll try my best, Maman," he said, still laughing. "I'll have to see what C.C. says about this, though. I'm not the one who'll have to do the carrying, am I?"

"I should 'ope so! Ozherwise I zhink I'll be worried about your 'ealzh."

Again, mother and son shared a quiet laugh, but Maire soon turned serious.

Despite the happiness that the news of his engagement had brought on, Marie was well aware that they were now walking on thin ice. She knew what her husband could be like – he was a cold-hearted bastard who had no qualms about hurting people who'd defied him, and even if Niles and herself were his family, they were still in danger of suffering the consequences of his wrath. Naturally, out of them all C.C. was the one in the most danger, given her position.

It was dawning on her Niles and C.C's wedding wouldn't be a grand affair. It couldn't be. If Joseph got wind of it, not even Marie offering her body and soul to him would stop his rage. He'd do everything in his power to stop their nuptials, and considering he was the king, he would simply have to say the words for his servants to do his bidding.

There was, however, a loophole that they could exploit. Should Niles and C.C. get married and produce an heir before the king was made aware of their plans, Joseph would have no standing to oppose their marriage. Once they were wedded in the eyes of God, not even mighty King Joseph would be able to object. Since Niles was his only heir, he wouldn't lose his title or position (Marie knew just how worried Joseph was about preserving his lineage), especially if the couple produced a child to succeed him.

They'd have to be smart about it. A secret wedding was probably the way to go, and then ensure C.C. got pregnant as soon as possible. They'd have to hide her somewhere until it was deemed safe for her to return to court, but she'd only do so after Joseph had…gotten used to the idea.

He'd probably never fully accept it, but he'd have no choice but to tolerate it.

And Marie had certainly had enough practice of sitting down and thinking about it. Joseph thought he was so clever, even though he valued it less that other things, like battles taken part in and women had over the course of the years. He hadn't thought about it much, even if she had.

It was the perfect plan to explain to her son, though. Simple, straightforward, and it would involve him having an excellent wedding night and honeymoon.

His eyes definitely lit up as she explained her reasoning behind everything.

He looked like he'd never considered the possibilities before. Perhaps he hadn't, given that until only recently, he most likely hadn't thought that being together would even be possible.

A warm home. A loving family. Children playing happily around them...

All things she would happily leave them, before the opportunities were gone and so was she.

It had come like a bolt from the blue, but it was undeniable at this point. It had all started a few weeks ago, when she'd noticed a few sores in her... lady parts. She hadn't given it much importance and eventually it had healed on its own. But then had come the rash – it had appeared when Niles had first gone away, and the doctor had confirmed the awful, awful news she'd already suspected: she had syphilis.

In other words, a death sentence.

And it was all thanks to her bastard of a husband's inability to keep that filthy thing between his legs in his breeches.

She knew it could be years before the disease finally took her, but she was living on borrowed time. Potts had told her there was a small chance the symptoms might never return, but if they did, her body would simply start to break down – in the late stages, the disease was known to affect the brain, the eyes, her bones...

The list was depressingly long, but she'd already started to learn to accept it.

She wasn't surprised by Joseph's betrayal; it was something she'd always feared would happen, given his track record. What did pain her, however, was the possibility of having to leave her children behind earlier than she would have liked. Her Niles and her C.C.. It could be years before the disease took its toll, but she had no idea how many they would be. It could be a decade.

It could be a year.

Either way, she'd have to leave…

Explaining that to Niles and C.C. was probably going to be the hardest part. It needed a build-up. She couldn't just leave it as a surprise – that simply wouldn't be fair. They needed to know now, as painful and shameful as it made her to have to tell. It was the only way they'd get used to the information.

"And zhat should mean zhat your family's future shall be safe and secured," she finished, taking in a breath before she felt that she could start. "Even...even after I am gone."

Niles blinked, suddenly uncomfortable. Why was his mother talking about her...well, demise?! They had been on such a happy subject – why did it need to be brought up?

He'd take her away from it. It was only fair that he pulled her out of those thoughts, otherwise it could actually end her life!

"Maman, there are plenty of years left between then and now," he reassured.

Marie shook her head before he could say anything else.

It was sweet of him to try and be optimistic, but there was no sense in it. There was no need for any sugar coating on what she already knew was coming. It was better, again, that he knew in full, even if it made him uncomfortable.

"But I do not 'ave all of zhose years, mon petit bonbon," she sighed sadly, using his childhood nickname – she always did when she had to break bad news to him. "You see, I also have a confession to make…"

"What…what do you mean?" Niles said.

He couldn't stand the cryptic messages, especially when she seemed to have something important to say! Right then wasn't the time to be anything less than straightforward!

She had to just...get it out. It had all seemed so simple, back when she'd been planning...?

It wasn't simple. How did anybody manage this, even when deciding to just blurt it out?

It still came out as a frightened whisper when she did, "I... I 'ave syphilis, Niles. Your fazher gave eet to me. I found out a few weeks ago."

Niles knew she was speaking after that because her mouth was moving – probably talking about symptoms and what would happen as time went by. But that was the only way he could tell, owing to the fact that the rest of the world was crashing down around his ears and drowning out all other sounds.

His mother. Syphilis. Given by his father.

No. No, no, no - he had to have heard her wrong; it couldn't be happening how she'd said! Life couldn't be unfolding like this!

She couldn't have such a terrible disease - she was his mother! His Maman! Mamans didn't get syphilis, they lived long, full, happy lives where they got to smile and laugh and meet and play with their grandchildren! They didn't wither and waste away before their time; in the best cases, they got to outlive all of the bad things that happened in life.

That was what he had wanted for his own mother; a full, happy life not cut short by a horrible, evil disease...

Each word and thought was like its own individual stab in the heart, and it made him weaker, like he was bleeding out and would be dry inside by the time the conversation ended, until he nearly collapsed on the floor.

He didn't care if his despair killed him. He just didn't want this to take his Maman away.

He'd demand to know that it wasn't true – he'd scream and shout and beg and plead until he heard what he wanted. But he knew that he'd vomit in the floor if he even tried to start, and if he made it through that, it still wouldn't change a thing.

The main thing being that he knew it was the truth.

How could it not be true?! His father didn't care what happened to a woman he slept with, from pregnancies to diseases galore – it was, in his mind, simply not his problem!

And it burned Niles up inside as much as it devastated him, to know that his mother's life was so unimportant to Joseph. It didn't matter to him that she was his wife and the mother of his children – he was basically murdering her slowly, subjecting her to a lonely and frightening death, all because he had decided to sleep with other women until he'd caught something!

He hated him. He'd stated it, for the first time ever, and up until that moment, he'd never realised before just how much he would mean it.

And he meant it. Even if Marie didn't hate the man who was going to see her die, all because of his own need to get pleasure, then Niles would gladly hate him for her! The anger and the rage he felt towards his father took up two people anyway!

It might give him some extra room to love his mother. His mother, who only wanted to see her grandchildren before she was snatched away...

He felt his heart crack, and tried to hold in the tears that burned with hatred for his father and the terror of what would happen when he lost his mother. But it didn't work. Marie tried to come forward and hold her boy. Just as she had done when he was little, and something bad had happened then. Granted, it was never anything like this, but a loss or a hurt was still a loss or a hurt. Especially when he was so small...

"No…! It… it can't be!" the prince said, voice cracking mid-sentence. "There must be something that we can do – new treatments for us to try and––"

"Niles, there is nothing else to be done. I 'ave come to terms wizh what will 'appen and so should you. Zhere eez no need for you to worry on my be'alf," she cupped his cheeks, almost seeing him as the round-faced, golden-haired little cherub she had – and still – adored with all her heart. "Eet eez alri–"

"No, it is not alright!" Niles protested back, the tears freely falling with no regard for who saw or didn't anymore. It didn't matter – none of it did. "He's given you a death sentence, Maman! Slow and painful, when you shouldn't have to even have this foul thing in the first place!"

Marie shook her head, wiping away his tears and trying to shush him, "Zhere was no way of knowing until eet was too late. We 'ave to just accept zhese zhings as zhey come, sometimes."

Niles couldn't believe how she sounded over this! She was speaking about her own death as though it were a minor broken bone! She had to have understood the urgency, didn't she? He tried, desperately, to protest. But another voice in the room told him that his attempts might not be the best idea.

"Niles...Your Majesty...?"

C.C. had woken up and she'd spotted them immediately. It was truly hard not to, even in her weakened state. The two people argue-whispering across the floor while one of them held the other to cry was only further proof.

And they both looked at each other when she did, Marie with a look of acceptance and readiness on her face. Niles, on the other hand, looked terrified. Did they really have to tell C.C. now, while she was still unwell?! They could always wait; it wouldn't be much longer before she could take the news...

But Marie had already started to go over.

"'ello, ma chérie," Marie said, cupping the young girl's cheek in one hand and using the other to reach for C.C.'s newly bejewelled hand. "Niles told me about zhe engagement…"

C.C., completely (almost upsettingly) unaware of what was coming, beamed back as much as she was able to in her current state.

"Isn't it wonderful...?" she murmured, loosely gripping Marie's hand in return. "We're going to be married...! We finally get to start the rest of our lives, together..."

Marie opened her mouth to speak, but the words caught as her heart surged with both love and overwhelming sorrow.

Yes. C.C. and Niles would be starting the rest of their lives. But Marie wouldn't be joining them for all of it (not even a lot of it, in the best case scenario), and it tore at the queen to see her future daughter-in-law looking so happy even as she was wracked with fever, at the idea of a future that wasn't going to happen the way she was imagining.

It was mostly a future Marie wasn't going to get to see. Twenty years or more of it at best, only a year at very worst...

"You do, chérie...you do," the queen agreed, biting the inside of her lip as she got ready to just say it. Just like she did with Niles. They were strong; they'd look after each other, no after how long it all took. "But I am afraid zhat I cannot be zhere for all of eet."

C.C. blinked, her smile fading away. It made Marie feel even worse, knowing what she was about to say and that there was no other way to say it.

"I...I 'ave some news, you see, chérie."

She seated herself on the bed, next to C.C., and as they held onto each other's hands (and after Marie had taken a deep breath), she told her everything that she had told Niles.

It was just as horrifying to hear a second time around.

But C.C., as the blood boiled in her brain from the fever and her heart shattered into pieces at the news, she didn't collapse, which had been the worry.

Even still, the tears leaking from her eyes told of the pain she was feeling inside.

Her mentor. The woman who had taken her in and under her wing. Her friend...! She was going somewhere nobody could follow and she wasn't coming back!

She didn't care when Marie tried to calm her by saying they could have the best case scenario; they could have decades still, before they had to worry. C.C. couldn't see that. How was it fair?! None...none of it was...

Even thinking about it was making her head feel awful, and the tears that were coming were hotter than fire on her face...

She couldn't believe it! She wouldn't believe it! Marie couldn't be going anywhere, at all – she had to stay there, always! She had to stay with them. To be there for their wedding, and to see their children be born and grow up...

The future – no matter how many years ahead – had seemed so bright up until hours ago. So promising...

And yet, here she was, facing the possible death of the only mother figure she had left in her life and the fact that her future father-in-law would rather Niles fucked her and pushed along rather than make her his wife. In the next few months she'd have to marry and birth a child in secrecy. She'd have to go into hiding until it had been deemed safe for her to return, whenever that was...

Still, she wasn't backing out of this. Not when everything she wanted was at hand's reach. She wanted a family – she wanted a family with him, and if this was the price to pay, then so be it.

She simply wished it didn't have to be this way...

She wished Marie hadn't had to sacrifice herself (quite literally) at some point in time so that they could be together. C.C. didn't think she'd felt this guilty in her entire life!

"Nonsense, my dear," the queen said when her future daughter-in-law begged for her forgiveness. "Zhere eez nozhing to forgive. I made my choice, and I don't regret it one bit. As I said, Dr Potts said eet could take years for zhe disease to end my life, so een zhe meantime. let's focus on getting you two married."

C.C. didn't think it was quite as simple as that, but Marie refused to budge. So, not wanting to upset things when it was clear that the queen wasn't about to change her position, she decided to just accept it.

That seemed to satisfy Marie, at any rate. But what happened next sent her back into a frown. She had put a hand on her future daughter-in-law's cheek again to cup it affectionately, when she realised it was warm. Too warm.

She immediately transferred her hand to her forehead, which seemed hot enough to cook a meal on if you laid her flat!

"But you are burning up, chérie," she told her. That was when her true mothering instinct kicked in, and she clapped her hands at the couple in quick succession. "Come on, eet eez time you were bozh getting some rest. And I mean zhe bozh of you because you need your sleep after your trip, Niles."

Trying not to share a chuckle with C.C. at the fact that she was addressing them like children and taking it completely seriously, Niles did as she said. They couldn't help the little laugh too much; she was just so being so motherly it was endearing, and they were enjoying it (as best they could). He would have gone, even if she hadn't come up and stood behind him, ushering him along until he had to climb in next to his beloved.

But he wanted to give Marie this, and they were both extremely tired...

C.C. couldn't help beaming broadly through the discomfort of her fever to watch as Marie – the queen she was supposed to serve! – tucked her in more, securing the sheets around her and making sure that her cold compress was wetter again before placing it on her forehead.

Niles then snuggled in beside her, taking care not to disturb his mother's handiwork as he did. She wouldn't thank him for it and C.C. wouldn't get better as quickly if it went too wrong, so he had incentives.

And his fiancée, although not completely comfortable, seemed to appreciate it.

"Hm, it'll be hard to go back to my room and my work, after being treated like this...!" she chuckled, closing her eyes.

Ah, now that was something Niles had forgotten to mention. It was probably going to come as a bit of a surprise now, but hopefully it would be a nice one.

"You are not going back."

C.C.'s eyes immediately popped open again, directed straight at him.

"What are you talking about?"

Of course she had to go back! That was her work! What else would she do?! It wasn't like she'd get into trouble, considering the fact that Marie was busy tucking her son's covers in and didn't seem bothered in the slightest that her son was basically saying that one of her ladies-in-waiting was no longer working for her, but still! She needed her job to earn money, didn't she?!

Niles slipped his hand into hers and squeezed it, "You are a full part of the court now, my dear. A lady in every sense of the word. And as both your prince and your fiancé, it is my duty to take care of your needs. I shall be sustaining you financially."

C.C., after having been tired and prepared to go to sleep, suddenly couldn't feel any more awake if she'd tried.

She...she was a part of the court now?! In full, with her title and position restored and a stipend of her own?!

It all seemed too good to be true! Well, of course it came with the condition of her going into hiding attached, but that was more than worth it! For the family she wanted to have, and for the kind of life she had only ever dreamed of, she would gladly go through it.

And it was all thanks to the man she was now about to fall asleep next to. The man who had rescued her from a life of servitude and had turned her fortunes around.

Feeling a rush of love come over her, she pulled him into a tight hug, murmuring into his shoulder.

"How did I suddenly get so lucky...?"

She felt Niles chuckle into her shoulder.

"I think you'll find that I'm the one who got the better end of this bargain," he pulled away to look at her. "I get to call you my queen one day."

C.C. smiled. She didn't care about the title, or anything that came attached to it. She'd never wanted power, or prestige – she'd have thrown herself at Niles the moment she'd known he was interested, if that were the case!

She'd just wanted a man who would love her as much as she loved him.

And she'd found him. Her prince. Her Niles.

Placing one last, chaste kiss on his lips, she cuddled up next to him again and allowed herself to fall asleep. Just as Niles was about to join her, his mother's voice brought him back to the waking world.

"Do not forget, Niles – you must remove zhe ring eef you are to go anywhere in zhe palace. Your fazher cannot 'ear any word zhat you are engaged; not even a rumour."

That made the prince jolt a little, and he made to get up, nodding. His mother was right – he couldn't be seen wearing the ring outside, if he wanted to keep C.C. safe! He could jeopardise their whole relationship if he just wore it anywhere he wanted!

His father would spot the ring right away, he just knew it. He couldn't let that happen! He had to have something around; a small drawstring bag, or silk purse, that he could keep the ring in and on his person!

"You make a fair point, Maman. Help me – I must have something I can keep the ring in..."

As soon as he was about to leave the bed, Marie stopped him.

"Do not worry about eet for now, petit bonbon. I can bring you a chain to put eet around your neck in zhe morning," she told him gently, indicating to C.C.. "Enjoy your rest right now, an' look after your intended."

Niles eyes followed her gesture, his heart softening. Again, Marie was right; the ring could wait until the morning. He could wear it for now, in the safety and privacy of his own chambers, without any worry. The priority was seeing that C.C. got better, which was going to involve a full night's sleep.

Quietly thanking his mother, he snuggled back down next to his fiancée, soon joining her in sleep.

Marie left her son's chambers feeling over the moon despite everything she'd gone in there feeling enraged about. Her son was getting married to the girl he belonged with. Her husband's plan had failed.

And, despite her condition and knowing how much pain had been caused to get where they were, Marie now knew that – both that night in sleep and one day in the far future in a longer, much more permanent sleep – she would be able to rest easy.


	18. Chapter 18

_**Chapter 17**_

It was a glorious morning.

Prudence never said a kind or optimistic word about _any_ morning, so the leap in her moods was the equivalent of taking a running jump from the edge of a chalk quarry and managing to land perfectly on the other side. Everybody had noticed it, but quite frankly, they'd seen the smug smile on her face and they'd been too afraid to ask what had put it there.

They were sure they'd regret it if they did.

Not that Prudence regretted it – not in the slightest! She was actually feeling very pleased with herself, even as she took an extra-large breakfast up to Prince Niles' chambers (the boy must've been starving after that trip – there was practically enough there for _two_ princes!). The Babcock slut had deserved what she'd said, because she'd come unstuck – her precious gold mine would soon have a new owner in the form of a wife who was worthy of a prince's station!

The beating down that she'd gotten before would be a picnic, compared to what would happen on behalf of the mystery future princess if the whoring little maid didn't agree to never see Prince Niles again. And Prudence could only hope that they decided to take preventative measures and throw the little whore out.

She couldn't wait to have to run to the market and see the slut begging in the streets...probably just tiding herself over until the night, when her _real_ work began on the corner, with all the other girls of ill repute.

She'd grow to be one of them in no time at all; she already had the advantage in that the Prince would have made every hole in her bigger and more easily accessible.

It was a long way to go, but the information she'd given her had been the start of it all, and Prudence couldn't help letting at least a little bit of pride swell her chest. _She_ and only she was going to be responsible for that slut having to leave, no one else!

And then no one would ever try to cross Prudence again. Everybody in her downstairs world would know their place and not try to upstage, usurp or overtake her by getting a new one! There was only one lady in the servants' quarters, and it was her, whether the rest knew or didn't or liked it or not.

It was little matter for the time being, when she was out on her rounds.

Especially seeing as this was the last. The most important one. The one where she got to see the results of her handiwork.

She knocked on the wood, but there was no answer.

That was odd. The prince didn't often meet their knocking requests with silence...

So, she decided that maybe His Royal Highness was still exhausted and deeply asleep from his trip. She decided to go in anyway, leave the tray and spend the rest of her morning congratulating herself on managing the place how things were supposed to be.

She opened the door, closing it awkwardly behind her before looking up and nearly letting the entire breakfast tray fall from her hands.

The prince was awake, after all. And so was his... _companion_.

That little slut Babcock was actually lying there, clad only in a nightdress and wearing a couple of rings on her fingers, all while being cuddled up in the prince's own bed!

They were massive rings, too – one had a diamond larger than Prudence's own eyes! It made her bitterly wonder what way the slut had turned to be taken, or what she'd sucked on, in order to get the prince to give her _that_!

It had to be worth more than a servant's wages for ten years, and yet it had made its way into her finger, all for a few hours' work!

The prince hadn't ordered the maid to come in or even heard her because he was too busy showing the slut boxes full of other glittering trinkets! Chests of them, piled around the bed like it was Christmas, and each and every one was utterly underserved!

Prudence blinked her eyes really hard, hoping – praying, begging, pleading – that the image would dissolve. That it would become something less horrible, and that the slut would no longer be there when she finally opened them.

But the image didn't even budge. It stayed firmly in place, as shocking, wrong and disgusting as ever. And Prudence, beyond the jaw-slash-tray-dropping shock, began to burn in her insides.

What the Devil had gone on there?! Hadn't the little whore been upset before, because she knew that it could never be as she wanted it to be?! Why was she there if that were the case – shouldn't she have run out into the streets and frozen to death, or something equally deserving?!

Who did she think she was, lying there like she weren't just a toy for the prince to break?! They didn't even look like they'd...done...anything! prince Niles was even fully clothed! How dare she make herself look like an honourable woman, when Prudence and practically every maid or cook or any other woman in the palace knew the truth?!

She had no place in that bed, in the palace, or...or anywhere! The powers that were had already shown her that, when she'd been tossed out into the gutter like waste from a chamber pot!

If she hadn't known what was good for her, Prudence would have already marched across the room and ripped the slut from those sheets and thrown her to the floor! Adding insult to injury, the little slut was the first to notice her presence in the room and was soon frowning at her, almost as if Prudence was the one in the wrong there instead of her.

The gall of this cunt was unbelievable…!

"Breakfast, Your Royal Highness," Prudence said through gritted teeth, giving back a glare as hateful as the one C.C. was giving her.

By this stage Niles was also aware of the new arrival, and much to Prudence's shock (and anger), he seemed livid. And not with the slut – no, his anger was clearly directed at Prudence!

"Come to inspect your handiwork, I trust?" Niles spat at the made, stalking across the room until he was face-to-face with the old hag that had made his beloved weep. If there was something he simply couldn't abide, it was a self-righteous crone that thought herself so much better than others.

C.C. had told him why she'd ended up outside the night before upon his insistence that she told him. He'd seen red the moment Prudence's name had been mentioned – he'd warned the maid about mistreating C.C. before, and clearly, she'd seen fit to just go ahead and disregard his orders!

That was not something he was going to allow.

"My Lord?" Prudence said, trying to appear as nonchalant as she possibly could. "I am not sure what you–"

"Quiet!" Niles barked, interrupting the maid mid-sentence. "Don't play games with me, woman – I know perfectly well what you've done. And I do not take kindly to anyone hurting my beloved."

Prudence nearly stumbled backwards, and not just because of him shouting.

He'd...he'd just called that little bitch his _beloved_! Was he insane?! Had the prince really taken leave of all of his senses, just so that he could get that little slut's legs to open every night?!

Prudence had heard how stupid men were, and the things they would do to make sure that women gave them what they wanted in return (she thanked her lucky stars that she had given up looking amongst them for anything else a long time ago; there was no point to searching for something she'd never find). She'd heard that they would often tell the object of their desire that they loved them, simply to make them give in, but she'd never heard of them telling other people that the slut in question was their beloved!

Could...could the prince truly mean it? If so, why?! Why waste any genuine feeling on a whore who was only looking out for herself and what she could get from him?!

Evidence of that was strewn all over the bed, ready to be worn all over the body, no doubt!

If she didn't know that she was in trouble enough already, Prudence might have taken the time to demonstrate all of this to him out loud. But the way he currently was – drunk on lust – he wasn't going to see it.

She could only impart some common sense and tell things as they were.

"But my lord! I have only ever spoken the truth to you," she protested in return.

"Is that so?" Niles scorned, irony dripping from his every word. "So you believe that your ability to perceive reality is better than my own?"

Prudence gulped – this really wasn't looking well for her, was it? And it was all thanks to that bloody slut! Seeing her sprawled on the Prince's bed and surrounded by his gifts disgusted Prudence to no end. It was as if the little vixen now believed herself to be the lady and mistress of the bloody place!

Well, if semantics was to be observed she technically _was_ a mistress, but who had the time for that, really? There was no honour in being the Prince's lover, but this leech of a stuck-up maid was going to shamelessly milk her position for all it was worth.

"I would never assume such a thing, sir!" cried out the maid, "I would never doubt His Royal Highness' faculties or slight His Royal Highness–"

"And yet you see fit to slight the ones I love," Niles replied, his rage mounting on. "You took it upon yourself to spew out lies about myself and how I feel about Lady Babcock! The only woman I have ever loved and the one I hope someday will become the mother of my children!"

Prudence had to clutch at her own chest to stop herself from gasping aloud.

That little...! The prince really intended to have children by that slut, even though it would bring dishonour on the entire royal family?! The whole country when the day came that he would be king?!

What would happen when he had to take a wife?! The plan that King Joseph had in place! Granted, she knew it was within the king's right to have a mistress, but to clearly intend to so openly flaunt one around, as well as any little bastards that the Royal Whore then birthed? England would be made a laughingstock!

And the future queen of it all would be reduced to a mere trinket that the king held on his arm at balls and banquets. The slut would be getting all of his time, attention and...and...

Oh, dear God... He'd said "the" mother of his children! Then he wasn't intending on having children with any other woman, not even a respectable wife that had never so much as thought of _touching_ a man before she was married to him!

He was going to doom his country and produce a line of bastards, none of whom could ever have a legitimate claim to the throne that would one day be vacant, all for the fact that he'd decided to turn his affections on a bitch who did not deserve them and had been thrown to the dirt for a reason!

England wasn't just going to be a laughingstock. It was going to fall, when he had no true children left to take over! All because of the bitch he hadn't been able to resist the moment she'd opened her legs.

"Clutch at yourself in horror all you want," the prince snarled. "It won't change anything! As much as you like to believe and act like it, you have no power here! You have no say over who I love, and you have no right to try to come between us!"

"But, sir, think about the Kingdom!" cried out the Head Maid, starting to hyperventilate. "What will we ever do without an heir to continue your lineage?! What will your future lady wife say when you refuse to give her children?!"

"And whenever did I say that I would not give my lady wife children?" replied the prince. "When did I ever say I would not continue my family's legacy?"

Prudence's face became one of puzzlement – so the prince _was_ going to have royal heirs? He was going to use his future wife as a breeding mare while giving his heart and attention to a little whore and the bastards she birthed?! That was preposterous! How could the Prince be willing to slight his future wife in such a way?! By putting his whore above her, he would be humiliating her in front of England's eyes!

She wouldn't stand for it! Her loyalty was to her future queen, not to some uppity bitch who thought herself so much better because the prince simply couldn't get enough of her filthy cunt.

"But sire, I don't understand!" Prudence insisted, "Your future lady wife–"

"Is currently in my bed, wearing the engagement ring _I_ gave her and, since we'll soon be married, she will carry and birth as many heirs as we desire! Ergo, the succession to the throne is more than safe!"

Niles couldn't help shouting – he'd had enough of Prudence's disrespect towards his beloved. Part of him was aware that maybe letting this hag in on their nuptials hadn't been the best of ideas, given that they had to keep the whole affair under wraps, but since he'd long since decided to kick her to the curb, he couldn't bring himself to care. He wouldn't leave loose ends, that was for certain.

Nobody was going to believe a mad-looking old woman, anyway. There were plenty of those, out on the streets of London, and very few people ever paid much attention to when they yelled or what they were yelling.

And Prudence looked like she would slot into the crowd very nicely.

Especially while she was shaking like a leaf, and screwing up her face as though trying hard not to let out a scream.

He...the prince...the prince had _proposed_ to that little whore?!

No. No, it couldn't be true! Prince Niles knew what was right and good and decent, and yet...and yet, dear God, she could see it now – the diamond bigger than an eyeball that the slut was wearing on her finger was on her _ring_ finger!

He'd done it already. He'd doomed them all, for the sake of being able to put his manhood in his favourite slut every night! She'd birth them a lineage of gutter kings, and the country would fall faster than anybody could say _"If only the whore had been tossed aside"_!

She had to talk him out of it! Anything to stop that smug bitch from getting absolutely everything she wanted! She had done nothing but let herself be fucked over and over, and that did _not_ deserve rewarding!

And any children born from that solicited union had no place on the throne of England. They should be taken from their mother and put in a church home, to stand any chance of avoiding the lust that had already permeated her blood!

And that, on top of the prince's...appetites...well, if the acorn really did not fall far from the tree, then they were going to need to practically chain down any girls she birthed!

They'd all be whores, just like their mother. And they'd have disgraced England all over again before they'd even reached her age!

She had to stop him, before he made the worst mistake of his life and ended up with a dirty whore for a wife, renegade sons who wouldn't be able to respect their father, and sluts in the making for daughters!

Setting her tray down to one side, she took a bold step forward and tried to plead her case, jabbering in a panicked tone that she would have looked down on in anybody else.

"Your Royal Highness! You have to listen to reason! To _see_ reason! If that little–"

"And that is what I am doing!" Niles cut her off immediately. This was it; the moment had come at last! "I saw sense the moment I realised I loved Lady Babcock. I saw it again when I knew that I had to propose. And I am seeing it now, in stripping you of your duties and telling you to get out of this palace!"

Prudence was almost certain that she couldn't have heard him right.

It sounded like he was taking her job away, and...and kicking her out of the palace!

But that couldn't be right! She was the head maid, the most senior ranking woman of all the servants, not including the housekeeper or the ladies-in-waiting (even if one of the latter should've been begging on the streets by now)! She had been in her position for her entire life! She'd put down more scullery and kitchen maids than anybody, and she ruled them all with an iron fist!

And when she saw that she had, in fact, heard the prince correctly, her face contorted into a snarl.

She had been in her position all her life, and she wasn't about to let some jumped up little whore who'd no doubt be opening her legs again soon in return for more trinkets take it all away.

"You," she hissed, rounding on the bitch in the bed, storming in her direction. "You did this to me! You spread your legs for him like the filthy whore you are and now I've–"

The rest of the words were slapped from her mouth and lost to history when Niles struck her across the face, sending her staggering a few paces.

But he wasn't going to end it there. If she even thought that she could try to get near his beloved, then she wouldn't stop at one attempt.

"Guards!"

He knew that calling would make them come running right away. They always did, in case it was him in danger, and they burst through the door with the urgency of someone who thought there could be an assassination attempt going on only a few doors away from where they stood vigil.

He directed his glare at Prudence, making it obvious whom he wanted gone.

"Take this one to her room downstairs and make sure she packs up everything she owns," he ordered. "She is not to go anywhere else in this time and is not allowed to talk to anyone. As soon as she is done, you are to throw her out of the palace. Do I make myself clear?"

The guards saluted and chorused, "Yes, Your Royal Highness!"

Before Prudence had time to even gasp, Niles' men had secured her arms and had quickly handcuffed her.

"Unhand me!" barked Prudence, struggling against their hold on her, "I have done nothing wrong!"

"Don't be so stupid," Niles snapped. This was it. This had finally been enough. "You have done everything wrong, and now you are going to pay for it."

That stopped Prudence's struggling, and instead replaced it with her attempts at begging.

"No. My lord, no – please, you cannot do such a thing!" Prudence begged as the guards started to drag her out of the room. "Please! Spare me! This is my life! Please, don't take my job away, my lord, I beg you!"

"You should have thought about that before you decided to treat the Lady Babcock the way you did," he barked at the maid before turning on his heel and returning to C.C.'s side. He had no interest in watching the disgraced ex-maid being dragged out of his room

Prudence was not going to go unpunished for all the things that she'd done to and said about C.C.. She was going to learn the hard way that no one insulted, put down or disrespected his love in any way whatsoever.

She would never darken their doorstep again. Not if he had anything so say about it.

He was happy that the guards closed the door on their way out. It muffled the sounds of her screaming and pleading and cursing aloud for her job as they took her away. It sounded like she'd put up a fight part of the way, just before they'd gotten too far away to hear.

_Good riddance. _

He turned away to go back to his love, concern growing as he saw that she'd put down the things she'd been looking at and was now curling herself up, eyes looking a little bit listless.

"Are you alright, my love?" he asked, gingerly seating himself on the bed, next to where she lay. He didn't want to accidentally sit on any pins from the jewellery. "How is your head feeling?"

C.C. mumbled in reply, sounding weak, "Not good..."

Niles could very easily believe that. Her forehead was still unbelievably hot to the touch when he brushed his fingers against it. The fever hadn't completely broken yet.

He wanted to let her curl up to try and sleep some more, but she still needed to eat. And luckily, there was a breakfast tray intact and waiting for them, not too far across the room.

The one benefit of Prudence not knowing they were both there was that she hadn't had time to spit in any of it.

He'd brought the tray back to his love in no time at all, picking his way through the food with his eyes to see if there was anything there that she'd particularly like.

"Here we are, sweetheart," he murmured, settling himself and the tray down, before picking up a slice of bread, fresh from the palace ovens, smeared with strawberry jam.

He offered it to her, hoping that a little food might help her sleep at least a bit easier.

"If you can't manage the whole thing, that's quite alright. We can pick at parts..."

He tore off a chunk of the bread, perfectly bite-sized, and tried offering that instead. He didn't want to overwhelm her by maybe offering too much, but she had to eat something, even if it was only little.

He nearly considered calling for someone to bring another full cup of tea, too, but then he realised that it was probably better if they shared that. C.C. wouldn't finish a cup by herself even if she did need to drink.

She was struggling with the bread enough as it was – she was trying to nibble at it, probably put off by the warm, verging on painful heat searing in her head.

They could share everything, he concluded. It would be easier than trying to make her have too much.

"Take that little bit, if you can," he told her gently, encouraging her to let the bread settle in her weak grasp. "I can help you break up the rest now, too. Would you like some tea to go with it?"

C.C. nodded – despite the heat radiating from her head, her body was still feeling tired and uncomfortably stiff. A cuppa would just about do it, in her mind. She reached a weak hand out and, after a few moments, she received a steaming teacup from her prince.

"It's come all the way from China," he said with a smile. "My mother is rather fond of Chinese artefacts and delicacies, so she spares no expense whenever she buys some from Asian merchants."

C.C. was sure that, as long as it tasted like tea, she didn't really mind where it had come from. But the moment a gentle, sweet scent she recognised as jasmine wafted into her stuffy nose, all thought fled her mind. She could only bring the cup to her lips and take a small sip.

Still, that alone was enough for C.C. to feel an immediate sense of comfort and warmth spreading all over her tired body. It wasn't long until she'd downed the entire cup.

"It's delicious!" she rasped.

"Nothing but the best for my future queen," Niles replied, moving to fetch the teapot and then pouring a new cup for his beloved. "And that is a promise I intend to keep until the day I die!"

He really would do it, and he knew that nothing he could do would ever be too good for her. He didn't know how or when he had come to that conclusion – it was just there, seeming obvious, and it had been since the moment he'd realised that he was in love with her.

Well, really it'd been there long before that, but it was so much more obvious when one's feelings had been sorted out!

He couldn't wait for them to be married. Even if only so that he could bring her a cup of tea in the morning, while she lay there and snoozed, in a much more pleasant retelling of the situation they currently found themselves in.

The sooner their wedding was, the better, really. But even that brief thought in his mind made him realise something that had, funnily, been escaping him up until that point.

It must've been the fact that he was so used to protocol that he hadn't thought about it, but he had forgotten that they would be the ones to set the date! And plan the whole day right along with it!

He actually began feeling rather excited about the whole thing, instead of like his life was ending, as nearly every one of his friends had said it would feel. He wanted them to be married soon, before anybody had the chance to find out, so that required getting started on planning as soon as possible. And, as his beloved would have nothing to do while she was recovering in bed, maybe this was the perfect opportunity...?

He continued, smiling gently, "That could practically be in my marriage vows...! And perhaps we should actually discuss how we are to be married, if you feel well enough...?"

C.C. partially pulled a face, thinking it over hard enough that it started to become a look of interest, but also still feeling her illness hard enough that she felt like the pain would be too much if she let herself express it fully.

Planning the wedding day...she had been so caught up with everything else that she had forgotten about the planning!

She hadn't been one of those girls who had dreamed of every single detail about the day since they could first read and write and stand (if they could do all those things), but now the time was actually coming, she did have more than one thought about how she would like it to look.

Even if she knew it would be..._unconventional_, in terms of most members of the royal family getting married.

"I can make myself well enough," she replied to Niles' question, attempting a smile even with the sickness making it feel horrible when she did. "You would have to...give me something far worse than this before I let you have full reign of what our wedding will look like!"

Niles bit back a tiny chuckle, amused at the determination and both grateful and aware that she had changed her mind at the last minute before saying what she'd said. She had probably been about to say something much darker but had decided against it at the last minute.

He didn't know if that was to spare him the thought, or because she didn't even want to think about it herself, but he was happy she was choosing to think positively.

Think positively, by thinking about their _wedding day_...!

"First things first, then," Niles said, "Let's discuss venues."

Had they lived in an ideal world, Niles knew their wedding would have been held at Westminster Abbey, just like his parents' wedding and those of his grandparents and great-grandparents had been. The Archbishop himself would have married them in front of every nobleman and woman in England, as well as any foreign dignitaries his parents had seen fit to invite. Then, after they'd been proclaimed man and wife, the celebrations would have continued at Whitehall Palace for days on end.

But, as much as he was loath to say so, they did not live in an ideal world. Their wedding would have to be a quiet affair to ensure their plan was kept a secret, and the merriment would have to be cut short – probably lasting a few hours or so. Still, luxurious affair or not, it would be just as special, in Niles' mind.

"Got any ideas yourself?" C.C. asked as she stroked Niles' chest, "I…I am not certain where it's safe for us to wed."

Niles' expression became thoughtful. Safety was indeed the main issue to be considered when choosing a venue. That immediately ruled out any of their official residences, like Windsor Castle or Whitehall Palace – his father had eyes practically everywhere, and they could easily rat them out. Maxwell's home could be a possibility, but given that there wasn't a chapel on the grounds it would mean they'd have to wed at the nearest public parish or church, which was something he wasn't entire happy with. He wanted to keep the witnesses of their union to a minimum, and getting married at a public venue would put that wish at risk.

They could always ask Marie for one of her own stately homes. Joseph had gifted her plenty of them over the years, mostly whenever he'd wanted her to allow him back into his bed. Or his own Hunting Lodge – the land was his, so he could very well order that no servant was to bother them. Maybe...maybe he could take only a select few of his servants with them, too; the ones he trusted most? They'd be less likely to tell his father, if he asked them to keep it to themselves. And the possibility of them going to London for some time was slim anyway, so there'd be even less of a risk. He could also disguise the true purpose of their visit behind the claim of an impromptu hunting trip – he knew Joseph wouldn't ask many questions that way.

"What about my Lodge? It's my land, meaning it can be as safe as I wish it to, and it is rather special to us, isn't it?" Niles suggested.

C.C. thought about it, and the longer she did, the more perfect she realised it was.

Niles' hunting lodge had everything they could possibly ask for in a wedding venue – a gorgeous setting, a peaceful atmosphere where no one would suspect the intention behind their visit and, as Niles had said, it was a very special place to them both already.

It was the place where everything had nearly gone completely wrong; where they had both nearly acted on feelings they hadn't been sure how to name yet, before having to part to realise just how much they wanted to be side by side, forever...

It would be fitting, for them to come back to that place and become one there, in mind and spirit.

And body, part of her reminded, sending a slight flush to her cheeks that her illness could luckily disguise. She didn't yet know how to feel about the fact that a wedding would of course mean a wedding night. She was still overwhelmed by the idea of not going through life alone, and excited at the idea of having someone with her throughout everything – children, growing old together...

But she couldn't help feeling scared. And worried. Part of her was sure that Niles would have a better time with someone more...experienced, and that she was just going to be a chore for him that night.

But she couldn't think about that right now. Not if she wanted to get through the rest of the planning.

"I like that idea," she smiled, trying not to let it waver. "I like it a lot..."

Niles dropped a kiss on her forehead, happy that she'd liked his suggestion.

"Good. I want the day to be as perfect as it can be."

"It will be," she replied, "It could never be anything less than perfect when you'll be there with me."

Niles didn't think he'd ever felt more warmth in his heart in his life, than when she said that. But again, it could have been tied for every other sweet thing she'd ever told him.

The warmth quickly became excitement at the prospect and preparation of their wedding, anyway. He knew that his mother would be able to find them a priest – she knew many, and each admired her chastity and dignified bearing as their queen to the point of being her most loyal servants, as well as friends against the king whose behaviour they abhorred. The couple also agreed that the Sheffields would serve as their witnesses. They were trustworthy people.

It was truly to be a happy family affair, it turned out, as the talks went on further and the hours flew by without either even realising. Niles could only happily agree when C.C. suggested that her half-brother Noel supply the jewellery and his wife, who worked as a seamstress, make the clothes. Their works were not the most expensive in London, but they were finely done and admired by many. It was a subtle selection, it saved on a cost and an order that may look suspicious if it suddenly turned up all at once, and it would give his new family members a welcome that he wasn't sure a huge royal wedding would have ever allowed. Being only a half-brother and not born from Stewart's wife, he was convinced that Noel might not have even been invited, by the standards of other weddings he had attended...

But it did not matter. All were loved and welcome at his and C.C.'s wedding. Again, breaking the tradition of other weddings he had been to.

And he could easily order that a feast was prepared for them all. He was the Prince of Wales and he needed no other reason to have one, and his servants had no other reason to obey.

They would only ever see a prince, his beloved, and close friends and family that they were entertaining. Nothing that his father could openly object to too much.

It would be the perfect day. He could feel it.

They both could. And, as they both cuddled up together in bed, full of tea and happy thoughts about the royal wedding that hardly anybody would ever hear about, they couldn't wait for the day to arrive.

The best of everything was still to come.


	19. Chapter 19

_**Chapter 18**_

Noel FitzStewart should have never amounted to anything. Being the bastard son of a now dead duke and a scullery maid, his future had never looked promising. Many a time he'd been told that, if he was lucky, he'd land a job at his father's estate and slave his days away until he either died or retired, all while his half-sisters – legitimate daughters, of course – lounged about, both too worried about their fussy, trouble-free lives to even glance his way.

That should have been the case, yes, but as was usual with the Babcock family, they never seemed to stick to the canons of what was considered commonplace.

Instead of being cast out by his father, Noel had had possibly the happiest childhood anyone could ever have. His father had been a loving, steadfast, ever-present figure in his life, and he'd always treated him as if he were a legitimate child. He'd brought him up to be an honest, hard-working man, sparing no expense on his education and, when the time had come, on his training as a jeweller. Stewart had been adamant about him finding and perfecting a trade – although his love for Noel knew no bounds, he also knew there was so much he could do for him, given his status as a bastard. He'd never be accepted in polite society, and since he'd been conceived out of wedlock, he simply couldn't be the heir Stewart knew he could have been.

Still, Stewart had refused to let societal norms get in the way of his son having a happy life. Noel had always had his own room and servants at Stewart's estate, his mother had been given a monthly stipend and a small, albeit comfortable, home a few miles away (this arrangement had been made so that her presence didn't upset B.B., and also for Noel to be able easily visit her, if he so wanted) from Stewart's manor, and as soon as Noel had been of age, his father had given him a small fortune of his own, a house and a shop in one of London's prime locations. He'd provided him with enough funding for Noel to acquire the finest, most delicate jewels he could get his hands on, too. Networking and advertising his creations had been yet another of his many favours, and soon enough, Noel had established himself as a successful and well-respected jeweller. He'd even been able to open several subsidiary shops and, after years of hard work and careful investing, he now employed over ten people and had apprentices of his own.

Even after all these years, the state of his life still felt like it was bit of a miracle. He'd always been welcome at his father's home, he'd been allowed to grow and share happy times with both his sisters, and he'd even gotten married to a wonderful, loving woman who made his days so much brighter and had given him five beautiful children.

Life was good.

Most of the time, at least…

His father's and youngest sister's deaths as well as his other sister's fate had spoiled it considerably.

"Spoiled it" was really putting it mildly, if he was honest. Hearing that your only living family (outside your wife and children) had been decimated down to one living person by an awful disease could only leave a person feeling crushed on the inside.

It had taken him a while to even come to terms with the news, let alone find C.C. a job and a new place to live where he knew she at least stood a chance of being safe.

He just wished that he was in a better position to help her. He and his wife unfortunately had no room to take her in considering they had four toddlers and a newborn daughter to look after as well, even though they would have done it in a heartbeat if they'd been able to. Their London home wasn't big enough to accommodate them all, and he'd thought it unwise to send her away to his country home. Secluding her there wouldn't have helped her any. Renting a home for her hadn't been an option, either – a woman living alone in the city wasn't safe at all! He hadn't wanted her to be exposed to any unnecessary dangers. The next best thing had been to get her a job at the palace, where she'd be safe and well fed.

In his mind this was but a temporary situation – he and his wife were thinking about buying a new home. Not that that had been easy, after the fire; many homes had burned completely to the ground, limiting choice and ease of movement. They'd been lucky enough that the home they already lived in had survived – it was pure luck that it hadn't caught fire, too.

They'd find somewhere eventually, though, once things had cleared up a little more. And, as soon as they'd found and bought it, C.C. would be brought back home to live with him. C.C. had yet to be made aware of this, but he didn't want to get her hopes up before they'd managed to acquire a new property. Until then she would have to stay at the palace.

Though, if he was being honest, he wasn't always sure that that his current plan would help her any, either. Being forced out of her home in the first place had been a disgrace in and of itself, so Noel hated to think what people would say about his half-sister if they'd found out that she'd had to move in with her bastard of an older half-brother!

He was the child they never talked about. And if they did, it was to tear into the Babcock family, about how their father the duke was clearly not the noble gentleman he pretended to be...

It made him bristle with anger even to think about it. His father had been a great man in life, no matter what he had done in his youth that others considered distasteful. He had never cheated on his wife – Noel had been born a good seven years before Stewart had wed B.B. and he'd never so much as looked at other women after marrying her. They were just using it all as an excuse to turn their noses up...

And it had left his little sister – she may have been half by blood, but she was whole in his heart – out in the cold when she didn't expect or deserve it.

She had always been good to him, even before all their troubles had begun. It was only fair that he did right by her, as much as he could. He would have been expected to, if he were her full brother. He'd be the head of the family, living in that house that their cousin had snatched from C.C., and she wouldn't have had to go anywhere.

If there was a real bastard anywhere in their family, it was their cousin. He was truly heartless, leaving his own flesh and blood out and open to the elements like he had, and if there were a fitting punishment that Noel could conceive in his mind, he would see to it that it was carried out.

But that wasn't possible. By law, their cousin had done no wrong.

By God and morality, on the other hand...

Again, he bristled to think about it. He could only hope that Hell really did reserve a special place for those who had committed the worst acts against their fellow man, because the man deserved the hottest spot the Devil himself could find in the place!

At least then, C.C. might get the house back. But for now, Noel supposed he should be thankful that she was safe where she was, earning money and getting meals every day. Still, she was worth so much more more than the life of a servant, no matter how high ranking.

He burned slightly under his skin at knowing he couldn't have found anywhere better for her. And it was a thought that haunted him every day.

It wasn't the only thing that produced an adverse reaction in his system, when he looked up from the piece he had been finishing for a client, and saw that his own sister had just entered his shop!

Only...only she was dressed...like a lady again? No, more than a lady. The dress she was wearing had the finest burgundy velvet, the closest and best fitting bodice and the most gracefully flowing skirts he had ever seen! Paired with the gemstones sewn into the hemline, the gold embroidery on her shoes and the tiara perched on her head as though it belonged there, Noel could scarcely believe that it truly was his own sister!

Even his wife, Margaret, who had come out of the back room to see if maybe the customer was after clothing, looked as though she could barely believe it! How could she? This was not the look or the clothing of a maid, or even a lady-in-waiting – these garments belonged to the highest of nobility; the people who had thrown her out into the gutter because her family were no longer alive!

What had happened?! What had changed?!

He couldn't help starting to gape as C.C. beamed at him, and he opened his mouth to ask that exact question.

"Dearest sister! What in the world–"

His question was, much to his stunned shock, answered before he could even get it out.

Following right behind C.C., Prince Niles himself entered.

Noel suddenly felt like he had been dunked in the river during wintertime, and it took all the willpower he had not to snap the chain of the necklace he had been working on with his bare hands.

Prince Niles, famous across the land for rogering any girl who came within several hundred yards and then dumping them with nothing but maybe a "thank you for the good time" gift, if he felt generous.

His sister, finely dressed and wearing all sorts of trinkets, tucking her arm into the prince's as soon as he was in the shop…

It was hard not to understand. It was obvious what was going on here, and underneath the ice water feeling of the shock, Noel's rage started to burn again. Only it was even worse than the rage he felt towards their cousin. He could even see the anger rising on Margaret's own face. She had seen, pieced it together and understood, too.

That bastard had... done _things_ to his sister! He'd seen a young maid with her whole life ahead of her and he'd decided that his own wants came first, so he'd taken her and manipulated her into becoming a trophy that he could parade around for as long as he wanted!

And then, when he was bored and decided that he wanted some other young thing who still had her innocence, he'd drop C.C. and go chasing after the fresh meat! It was the same way that cad had always been, and would always be! It was in his blood – King Joseph was just the same, charming his way into beds wherever he went!

The nobility talked about Stewart like he was the worst man to ever walk the Earth, and yet they said nothing of the bastards that the king and the prince had probably sown up and down the land, never once caring or even feeling love for anybody but themselves!

He was going to put an end to this himself! That was his sister who was being taken advantage of! Noel didn't care if he got her fired – she was coming back home to him and Margaret, because clearly the palace was not safe anymore. He didn't care about not having enough space or not having gotten their new, bigger home yet; he wasn't going to see her become just another used and discarded toy of an uncaring, unfeeling prick who would only ever fall in love if he saw his own reflection!

And he definitely wasn't going to see her carrying some illegitimate child of a father who would never see them. He'd been lucky with his own father, but he knew that Prince Niles was the complete opposite.

One of his hands had already let go of the half-finished necklace, and it was already twitching towards the large pair of pliers that he used to twist molten metal into shape...

Not that his sister was aware of the red mist that had descended upon him – she was smiling still as she rounded the counter and rushed to wrap her arms around him.

"Oh, Noel, how I've missed you!" she said, a few happy tears making their way down her cheeks. "It's been so long!"

_Yes, it has been far too long, _Noel bitterly thought to himself. He had, quite clearly, failed his sister once again. He'd stupidly sent her straight into the wolf's mouth, all while promising she'd be alright.

What a poor excuse of a big brother he was! He was supposed to protect C.C., to ensure that, even if he couldn't keep her in the life she was used to, she'd be safe and protected. He'd cost her her innocence and probably any chances she'd had at finding a good husband. Few men were willing to wed women who were no longer pure, and thanks to his lack of foresight, his sister had let a cad take said purity away from her.

It was time for him to do some damage control. He couldn't undo what had already been done to her, but he'd be damned if he let that bastard continue to use his sister as his little toy!

"I've missed you too, little Babcock," he told her, returning her hug. "But I promise you we shall never be apart again."

It was almost painful to see just how bright her expression had turned.

"You'll be visit me at the palace more often?" asked C.C..

"No, my dear sister." Noel began, letting go of her and turning to glare at the Prince. "You are going to come back home, so you can be as far away as humanly possible from this self-serving rake!"

The words came out short and sharp, just like a slap in the face, and C.C.'s jaw dropped open in horror.

"Noel!"

Niles took a step forward at the slight, as well as at the sound and sight of his beloved getting upset over what her brother had just done. He needed to protect her, and keep her clear of any argument that happened.

He'd take the full force of her brother's words.

Not that he had thought he'd have to! He'd been expecting a confused reaction, yes, but he had never thought to imagine they might be met with open hostility! This was C.C.'s own brother! She had called him the finest jeweller in the land, as well as one of the kindest men she had ever had the fortune to know and be related to! Why would such a man go off on a tirade, and demand that his sister come home, when she was clearly healthy and happy?!

"Good sir, what is the meaning of all this?!" the prince demanded. "You just openly insulted me!"

"And I'll do so again, _sir_, if I so choose!" Noel snapped. "I do not reserve kind words for bounders and cads who do not deserve them!"

He honestly couldn't believe that the prince – the _bastard_ – was still stood there, with the nerve to look as though he had no idea what Noel was talking about! Had sowing his wild oats wherever he pleased depleted his mental capacities?!

He could only imagine that it had. Men like that only ever thought with the thing they kept in their britches, so overuse probably had its own effects.

But he could help with that. His hands had fully grasped the pliers by this stage and he had moved around the counter in order to step out onto the shop floor.

Margaret had seen what her husband was apparently trying to do, and she swiftly moved forward. She wasn't going to stop him. If anything, she was going to help – she'd hold the disgusting pig down if necessary!

"Noel, he's done nothing to warrant this type of behaviour!" snapped C.C., stepping between his brother and her future husband.

She'd never imagined she'd ever have to do that, but clearly she'd entered some kind of twilight zone that made little to no sense! Noel wasn't one to be openly hostile to people when there wasn't a good reason for him to act like that. Still, C.C. failed to see what Niles could have done to incur in her brother's rage.

"Oh, please, sister, don't you see?" Noel said to her, pointing over at Niles with his pliers. "This man right here is nothing but a womanizing cad! He's famous for bedding hordes of women! He makes a hobby of it – playing with them until he has grown bored of them! And I am not letting you become the latest notch on his bedpost – you are coming home!"

The penny dropped in both Niles' and C.C.'s heads in a split second. Noel's rage towards Niles stemmed from his (admittedly deserved) reputation of sleeping around. He didn't know C.C. was no longer a maid, she hadn't told him, so the natural conclusion to her being dressed in such fine clothing and wearing the finest jewels Niles had been able to afford was that they were tokens given in exchange for certain…_favours_.

Niles wouldn't even dream of doing such a thing to her, but in the past that was pretty much how he'd carried himself. He couldn't blame the man for being suspicious and jumping to conclusions – after all, he had started his relationship with C.C. with his left foot. But the cad he'd been was no more, and he'd do everything to put Noel's fears to rest.

"Mr FitzStewart, I assure you that is not the case," the Prince said, holding out his hands in a soothing fashion. "I love your sister and I would never hurt her like that. That's why we are to be married in a few short weeks!"

Noel almost didn't hear what the prince had just said, his rage was growing so much. He was ready for what he had to do – he would be saving his sister, and the countless girls who would be manipulated and toyed with after the cad's attention had gone elsewhere!

He'd spare them all the lies. The "I love you's" and the "declarations of marriage"...!

But as he marched towards Niles, what had been said and what he'd just thought clicked in his mind at the very last second, like the clasp on a broach or a bracelet suddenly coming together to create one whole, complete circle.

And he saw the look of panic, not charm or calm smoothness on the prince's face.

He'd...the prince had just said "weeks". As in, weeks until a date that had been set for this..._wedding_?

Noel halted in his testicle-removing tracks, the pliers poised and ready in his hand but the will to hold them slowly leaving. His confusion was too great to do anything else. Had he really said married? Did he mean what he was saying? Was the prince really telling the truth?! That didn't seem likely, and yet all the signs pointed to it!

Especially as his sister lifted up her left hand, angrily but effortlessly showing off the beautiful diamond ring displayed on her finger...!

Noel looked at Margaret, hoping that she would have a better sense of what was going on, but she looked as unsure as he felt.

His eyes darted between the three people in the room. His wife, finding all of this as bizarre as he did; his sister, angry and clearly ready to do to him what he'd been about to do to the prince; Niles himself, stood there looking like he was hoping his explanation would be enough to spare him the fate the jeweller had in store.

And he could only say one thing.

"What...?!"

The Good Lord in Heaven and all his Saints must have been looking out for him, because his wife (his own personal angel, he often said) came over to wrap an arm around his shoulders and very gently directed him towards the door that led to the back of the store.

"Why don't we all take a nice, deep, calming breath and have some tea?" she said with a smile. "I'm sure our honoured guests are tired from their journey and would rather discuss the matter that has brought them here somewhere more…secluded."

Noel knew that was his cue so, after quickly pocketing the pliers, he gestured over at the door.

"Yes… yes, of course. Please, do come in…! You are more than welcome…"

Niles gave C.C. a questioning look, almost as if asking her for reassurance. She nodded and gave him a soft, loving smile – one that assured Niles that his masculinity was definitely safe and would not be threatened again.

Noel knew that it was all for show – the moment she and Niles walked past him, she discreetly gave him her trademark _I-am-going-to-end-you_ look. Noel couldn't help but grimace. That wasn't a particularly encouraging sight, whenever C.C. was concerned. He knew from experience she usually meant business whenever she issued a threat.

"I blew it up, didn't I?" Noel whispered to his own wife as she looped an arm through his and gently led him along.

"Maybe not entirely, dear," Margaret replied, patting the back of his hand reassuringly. "You never know; they might both decide to be forgiving."

Noel highly doubted that his luck would stretch that far. Even if the prince decided that, perhaps, his (former?) reputation had preceded him and had been the ruling factor in what had just happened, C.C. wouldn't be willing to let it go so easily.

Once she got it into her head about something, it was very hard to get it out again. And that went double if she felt there was a great injustice or slight involved.

His beloved wife was simply hoping for the best, and trying to stay positive. She needn't have bothered, though – he could just as easily take his blows and apologise for his behaviour. C.C. would cool off eventually, and they might even be able to laugh about it, someday.

In the future.

The far future, if the look on her face as they all went to the kitchen was anything to go by.

It was a relief to have a distraction, once they were in the kitchen. The kettle went on the stove immediately, and the two hosts insisted that the visiting guests make themselves as comfortable as they liked.

It was a far cry from only a few moments ago, when Noel had wanted to put the prince in the largest amount of discomfort possible, all with the pliers he still had in his pocket.

"I trust you take sugar in your tea?" Margaret asked politely, distracting him from the cringeworthy thought. "We also have honey, if you'd prefer..."

A very minor relief came to Noel then, as he realised that they could at least receive their guests with the luxury goods that they were used to. He might've been the illegitimate son of a duke, but his father had lived him and had provided well for him. That had included giving him enough money to own several stores across London, which in turn left him and his family enough money to be comfortable.

Very comfortable. Comfortable enough to afford sugar, and coffee, and anything else they needed or wanted.

"Two spoonfuls should be fine," Niles said. "Though my betrothed prefers honey and lemon."

Noel couldn't help but be mildly surprised. Not because of his sister's choice for sweetener, no, but rather for the Prince knowing that honestly minor fact about her. It was further proof that, indeed, his intentions with her were honest. Why would a man who was only interested in bedding a woman pay such close attention to said woman's habits? They'd be more focused on big, over-the-top gestures to make them swoon and give in to their requests.

He was certain the Prince was no stranger to those underhanded stratagems, but it was looking more and more unlikely that he was deploying them right that moment.

Still, he had his doubts. Regardless of how loathsome that would make him in C.C.'s eyes, he still felt it was his duty to second-guess anything that came out of the mouth any man who took an interest in her.

"I see your tastes haven't changed, dear sister," Noel said while Margaret prepared their tea and passed the cups around. "Honey has been your one indulgence since childhood."

"Let's cut to the chase, shall we?"

C.C.'s harshly-spoken words hinted that she had little to no interest in engaging in mindless chitchat. Noel had suspected that would be the case but, being the perennial optimist, he'd just had to try and inject a note of levity into an otherwise rocky situation.

Boy, he sure was in the doghouse, wasn't he?

"Yes...yes, of course..." he mused aloud and sipped at his tea.

Usually, he found the warm beverage to be comforting – the perfect way to soothe his frayed nerves. Sadly, today it didn't seem to be doing the trick.

"I expect you have a number of questions. Isn't that right Mr FitzStewart?"

"That, my Lord, is a bit of an understatement!" Noel replied and laughed uneasily. "Do not take umbrage, but I...find it difficult to believe that you have chosen to be an honourable gentleman to my sister."

"That's it, you are dead!"

Noel flinched as C.C. launched herself across the table at him. Well, attempted to – Niles had grabbed for her just in time, and was busy holding her back.

He'd never imagined that any of the day would be like this – from nearly being made into a eunuch upon entering the shop, to having to hold his beloved back from nearly fist-fighting the man who had nearly performed the impromptu procedure!

He had to see that Noel had plenty of reasons to be suspicious. He hadn't exactly been quiet about how he'd treated women in the past – he'd thought it all to be one big game, and he hadn't cared one whit about any of their feelings. Any man wanting to protect a woman they cared about would have done the same; done anything to prevent her from getting involved with him, or making a mistake.

The latter of those had quite a bit to do with why he was currently still holding a struggling C.C.. she was clearly offended on his behalf, but he had to make sure she promised not to kill her brother before he let go. They could settle this reasonably, like adults.

And, hopefully, the pliers would go back to wherever it was that they had come from!

"C.C.! Love, it's alright! It's alright," he kept repeating that, hoping that part of her mind wasn't angry enough to not be listening. "He has a point – we both know that he does...!"

Begrudgingly, C.C. did know, and she knew that she could admit it to herself if she wanted to. Niles had been...awful, to women; she knew it and so did most other people in the land, whether they had met him or not. But he had changed. He'd seen the right way, and she was angry because her brother hadn't even given her a chance to explain before launching an attack and demanding that she come home!

With or without a reputation, she knew that her fiancé deserved a better greeting than that!

"So, why don't we all calm down and do what we came here to do?" Niles continued, rubbing C.C.'s back in a soothing fashion. "After all, we mustn't be gone from the palace for too long – Dr Potts said you are still fragile."

"Doctor?!" Noel interrupted, heart leaping in his chest and fear being quickly replaced by worry. "Are you sick?"

"I'm perfectly fine," snapped his sister.

"No you are not," Niles insisted – he knew just how bullheaded his C.C. could be, especially where her health was concerned. "Your fever broke only five days ago. I'd much rather not risk your health when our big day is around the corner."

Niles then looked over at where Noel sat and addressed him.

"She was sick with pneumonia and bedbound for around two weeks. Rest assured, she got the best medical care money can afford, Mr FitzStewart."

"You don't have to explain yourself to him!" C.C. insisted – after how Noel had treated Niles, she felt Niles owed him no explanation. She knew she was an honourable man and that was enough! "You've been nothing but good to me."

"That isn't true, love, and we both know it," he said in a gentle but very much matter-of-fact voice. "I was awful to you when I first met you, I tried to bed you like I did with countless others. I sabotaged you. But you've changed me and made me a better man. You've made me realise what real happiness is, and it is not meaningless sex. I love you like I have never loved anyone else, but you have to understand why your brother – who I am certain loves you and wants nothing but the best for you – would be wary of me being anywhere near you."

The stubborn part of C.C. – that is to say a large part of her mind and a great deal of her heart – wanted to argue back that Noel should've at least heard them out before immediately jumping to conclusions. He'd immediately been prepared to mutilate another human being, all without knowing the facts first, or even checking them with the one person who truly knew!

But somewhere, deep inside, the part of her that knew the truth (even if the rest of her made her not want to say it) was saying that he had more than a substantial point. He'd been awful to many women, taking advantage and charming his way into their beds to take what he wanted, before dropping them until the next time.

Part of that still made her nervous, when she thought about how close they were to their wedding day. And wedding night. He knew what he'd be doing, and he'd done it with women who knew, too. She wasn't going to know – what if she was bad? What if it just ended up being a chore for him? What if neither one of them ended up enjoying it?

She was secure in the fact that it would make no difference to how he felt about her. But she couldn't help comparing herself to all those other women, who would be better at it than her. Have given him a better time.

She had to turn away from the thought. He hadn't cared at all about any of them; he hadn't thought about caring for anybody but himself before he'd met her...

The sadness creeping in distracted the stubbornness, allowing the truth to make its way out, and she sighed.

Her eyes dropped to the table, "Hm. Maybe you are right..."

She felt Niles' hand squeeze gently at her shoulder blade, before his voice came back again.

"I know I'm right. But all of that is over now. Our wedding is only weeks away, and we will be happier than any royal couple has ever been. I'll see to that myself!"

Hoping it wouldn't upset Noel, Niles dropped a chaste peck on C.C.'s lips. Before, he'd never cared about what the male family members of the women he'd slept with thought of him, but as had become the norm whenever Lady Babcock was concerned, he desperately wanted to make a good impression on Noel. She was the love of his life, and he wouldn't want her family to think he wanted anything else but to make her the happiest woman on this Earth.

She'd get anything and everything she wanted – she needed only ask and he'd move Heaven and Earth to grant her her wish.

"Your Royal Highness," Margaret said, bringing the prince out of his reverie. "Might I ask why you've come to visit us if your wedding is so close? Shouldn't yourself and Lady Babcock be overseeing the preparations for the ceremony?"

"Precisely," Noel said, "Again, do not take umbrage – obviously you haven't come here to ask for her hand in marriage, and I highly doubt you've come to deliver an invitation to your nuptials, given my status as a bastard."

Noel couldn't help the spite in his words. Not to get him wrong – he held no hatred towards the prince or his sister, but rather towards a society that would have him banished from his own sister's wedding just because he was the child of a duke and a maid. He tried not to let it get to him, but it was too tiresome sometimes. There was an obstacle at every turn for people like him, and he sometimes wondered why he should be burdened by his parents' sins. He hadn't chosen this – why should he pay for mistakes that weren't his? He was a good, law-abiding citizen, he paid his taxes and he had a loving family. He'd made an honest woman out of Margaret and had never wavered in his faithfulness toward her and he was a good and loving father.

It didn't really seem fair.

"Brother, don't talk like that!" C.C. chastised him – she hated when he was so disdainful to himself. "Besides, you are wrong in your assumption that you aren't invited to my wedding."

"What's more," Niles said, "We were hoping your good wife and yourself could make my bride's wedding gown and jewellery."

Noel and Margaret both immediately froze, neither one quite believing what they...well, they could only think that they were hearing! It was almost too wonderful to comprehend as real, even as the prince and his future bride sat there, quite obviously waiting for them to give an answer.

Well, of course they were going to accept! The joy flooding their minds and senses was just overwhelming them, currently...!

Margaret's focus was, of course, on the idea that she – _they_, she reminded herself, before she got too ahead of her own mind in her excitement – would not only be invited to a family celebration that they had never even expected, let alone dreamed of being invited to, but they would be playing a major role in the celebrations!

And not just any celebrations – the marriage of the _future king and queen of England_! As special and dear to her heart as fitting a wedding dress for her sister-in-law was, it became magnified by the prestige! She was going to have to make the dress from the finest fabrics and most glittering gemstones – no expense could be spared, even more than would've been given away freely if their C.C. had come looking to get married to anyone else!

It would be difficult, but her sister-in-law was more than worth it.

Noel, meanwhile, had almost completely glazed over the honour of dressing the future queen in his jewellery for her wedding day. As much as people would talk about that, he knew they'd also talk about the fact that he was there. The half-brother. The bastard. The one with no more right to a name or title than the pigs and goats peasants kept by their vegetable patches!

But he and his wife had been invited. And not only had they been invited, they'd also been invited personally.

That stood out to Noel more than anything else in this world, touching him deeply – to the point where he might cry, if he had been alone; not only had his little sister, who had no more obligation to talk to him than any other titled lady, given him an invitation to her wedding, she had also told him face-to-face that she wanted him there.

"And Noel, I would very much like it if you were one of our witnesses."

C.C. cutting in with that made Noel feel like his heart had just swollen to double its size in his chest.

She wanted him there, and she wanted him to play one of the most important roles a person could take in a wedding party...! In front of nobility, and in the face of everything their class stood for!

He was more important to her than that...

He could feel the tears pricking at his eyes, but he did his best to hold them back as he shared a shaking, wobbling grin with his wife and replied.

"We...we'd consider it an honour! The highest honour either of us have ever had...!"

"It will be an equal, if not greater honour, to have you both with us on that day," Niles said in return, before sitting forward in his chair.

It felt to him like he was about to discuss a state secret. No. Perhaps it was even more confidential than that. It was something far more personal and important to him than that, at the very least.

"Now, we should probably discuss the details of the day, and why it is happening so quickly, before we take our leave. Bearing in mind, of course, that this all to be kept completely secret, alright? This wedding will be in secret."

There was a pause, during which Noel's smile dropped at the word.

The man had been imagining that his little sister, all he had left from his father's family, wanted him to stand up as a witness for her wedding - a wonderful honour and recognition in itself - in front of as many nobles as possible. To prove a point to them.

Granted, it was still something he would never back down from. Not when his little sister had asked.

But this didn't sound like it would be a traditional wedding, and he couldn't help being both a little surprised and (slightly) deflated at the same time.

He shared a stunned look with his wife, before turning back to Niles, "Secret? How many people are going to know about it?"

"Very few," Niles said. "Just yourselves, my mother and our closest friends, the Sheffields. But it is with very good reason; we wouldn't have it this way if we had a choice."

"What do you mean?" Margaret asked, clearly as confused as Noel was.

That gave Niles the opportunity to start explaining properly, so he got into describing the plan, as well as the reasonings behind it. Going to his lodge to basically elope, where they would stay until C.C. had carried and given birth to a child, all so his father wouldn't find out until it was too late...

It still almost seemed unreal to explain to others. But every part was worryingly true, and they had to understand why they'd chosen this route.

Once he'd finished, Noel and Margaret were of course horrified at the treatment King Joseph had been giving them over the fact that they were in love and inseparable by any other woman who came along. How could things have gotten so bad that C.C. was going to have to go into hiding, until she had a legitimate heir that no one would be able to question?!

Noel didn't like the sound of it one bit, and he was on the verge of regretting letting all of his anger and fear disappear earlier. It seemed like he needed them back right now. What kind of danger was his little sister in?! Was Joseph going to send soldiers to kick down the door and drag her away, to leave her and her baby to rot in a dungeon for the rest of their lives?!

C.C. nearly seemed on the verge of castrating him again when he voiced...part of this opinion (he thought Margaret's face suggested she agreed with him that time). But he felt he had to be firm, when it came to her safety.

Again, his irate sister was soothed by her fiancé, who explained to them that every precaution was going to be taken care of. Nobody who wasn't invited to the wedding was even going to be told it was happening, and Niles would be sure to keep C.C. at his own residence, away from the palace, until the time had passed and their child was already on the way. And, if it came to the worst case scenario, Queen Marie had offered to send C.C. away to France, where she'd be safe and protected by Marie's brother, King Louis XIV, until it was safe for her to step a foot back in England. The French king was a romantic at heart, and when his sister had informed him of the secret wedding, he'd said that he was more than happy to lend a hand, if they needed him to.

Both Noel and Margaret supposed they had to be satisfied with that information, as well as the promise that Niles would keep her safe. If he was to be her husband, he would have to do that all the time, and he was clearly trying to live up to his vows right from the very beginning.

They weren't entirely relieved from all the worrisome thoughts in their heads, but they knew there was no turning back. They could only be happy that the couple had agreed to take matters into their own hands, and were determined to help give them the wedding day that they were dreaming of.

Even if it was going to be _slightly_ smaller and infinitely riskier than they had originally imagined.

"How fast can you have her dress and jewels ready?" Niles eventually asked, after all the finer details about their plan had been carefully gone over.

Noel and his wife exchanged a look.

After the Great Fire, business had been a little slow. It hadn't strained their finances, given that Noel still had so much money left from what Stewart had given him and from what he'd managed to save over so many years of hard work, but it had made their days rather dull. They'd even been considering closing up for a while (at least until life in London had returned to some semblance of normality) and spending a few months away at their country home with their children. Margaret had long since wanted to take a break, and given that their latest little one was so small, she fancied the idea of her and her husband having some alone time with the baby and the rest of their children.

However, given the latest developments, their family vacation could wait. They'd use most of their time to work on C.C.'s wedding attire.

"Give us three weeks," Noel said, smiling. "We need to order a few things from mainland Europe, but I trust we'll have everything ready by the end of this month."

"Indeed – we'll start right away!" Margaret interjected as she got to her feet. "Now, if that is to happen, I will need to take Her Ladyship's measurements."

Surprised, Niles and C.C. looked at each other. This was, in actual fact, the first real major preparation they had to do for their wedding! The rest was, in truth, all wrapped up in the fact that they were basically eloping and getting everything else seen to by the servants at the hunting lodge!

It was...exciting. All an official part of the day that they were getting ready for! It wouldn't be long before all their work had paid off!

And speaking of work, they had to let Noel and Margaret get on with theirs. So, C.C. rose to her feet and went into the shop where her sister-in-law prepared all of the clothes she made, in order to have her measurements taken.

She shot Niles a grin just before Margaret shut the door, separating the jeweller's from the seamstress's. She knew he would have to wait for the wedding before he got to see.

It was only right that they did _one_ thing traditionally, after all! Everything else was hardly conventional.

But it was theirs. And it meant that they would never be apart – forced through class boundaries or otherwise. They would be married, titled together, and they would form a loving family that not even King Joseph would be able to object to.

As Margaret got started on positioning her for the measurement readings, C.C. thought – hoped – that the king would learn to live with it, even if he didn't accept it.

But that was a worry for another time. For now, she had to focus on their plan; the first step being getting married, of course.

And she was going to do everything she could right at that moment to have the most beautiful dress an eloping royal bride could possibly wear.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Chapter 19**_

The carriage was nearly already completely packed and Joseph could not have been more thankful for that. He always found that his annual-kingdom-survey-slash-extended-hunting-trip was the perfect excuse to be away from the dragging duties that were a part of being king. He got to happily hand those off to someone else (that was to say, his son) while he wandered around England, Ireland and Scotland, and things got done without him having to be a part of them.

It also meant that he got to be away from Marie, which was a blessing in itself. She'd been colder than the depths of winter ever since she'd found the Babcock girl in Niles' bed – both to him and to the boy.

Joseph was more upset about his own situation with Marie than her anger at Niles, really. She'd had the nerve to kick him out on the few occasions he'd come looking for his marital rights since that moment, and every denial he faced would always trump her being hurt at their boy finally conquering a seemingly untameable beast.

Marie had even told him that the little whore no longer worked for her, which had made him laugh. He'd seen the slut going in and out of Niles' rooms all the time, so she'd clearly been sent to her proper place after all. Taken away from serving and sitting with the queen by day, to serving and laying with the prince by night. And perhaps by day, too.

Joseph couldn't be prouder of his boy's growing harem, no matter what Marie said or thought.

She hadn't even turned up to say goodbye as the footmen got the last of his things ready, and Joseph could only consider that a win for him. It meant that she wouldn't have time to nag him about anything that he might or might not do during his trip (what did she care, if she wasn't going to give it to him anyway?), and that left him feeling like, when it came right down to it, she knew her proper place.

Beneath him, in more ways than one. She just had to calm down a little bit, then she'd come to him to give him his marital rights.

And, speaking of someone who was putting someone else beneath him, his own son had arrived in time to see him off. Joseph was glad of that, at least. He got to give his boy the playful nudge of somebody who knew that he was getting prime venison served to him in his own bedsheets each night.

That Lady Babcock had to be good, if he'd had her basically every night for so long now. It made Joseph slightly jealous that he hadn't handed her off or at least shared her yet!

For now, he was willing to let it go simply because the girl was still fresh and ripe and easy picking, so what man wouldn't need or want her close at hand for a release every few hours or so?

Her noble blood helped a bit there, too. It wasn't as though she was simple dirt from the street – she had been born above that, so Joseph didn't mind letting him prolong his adventures until he actually got tired of her.

Niles wouldn't be able to keep her for himself much longer, though. And he certainly couldn't let her sleep in his bed all through the night like he did – it was the first rule of keeping a whore. If all men let their bits on the side stay after getting what they wanted, said bits might think they were worth more to them than the fucking. That simply wasn't the case.

Niles would learn that soon enough. He'd definitely learn it once the survey and hunting were over. He'd be married off as soon as Joseph got back.

Not that he was to know this just yet. He might as well get a few more weeks as a free man.

Approaching his son, he gave the widest grin he possibly could and slapped him playfully on the arm.

"Be good, boy. Remember, you're in charge until I return," he said. "So keep the food good, the wine flowing, and the whores spreading their legs until I get back. I'll want to get stuck in, after this!"

Niles felt sick to his stomach at the very thought, and he openly grimaced at his father. He was only there out of a sense of duty – he had no intention of running the palace like Joseph did and he certainly wasn't there because he was going to miss his father. Quite the opposite, in fact.

And he had no intention of bringing...women...into the place, for himself or anybody else. He would never betray, hurt or humiliate his beloved, like his father had done so many times to his mother.

"I'm sure you will," he said coldly, not even attempting to move to grip his father's arm. "Safe trip."

Joseph nodded, releasing him.

His boy seemed...slightly standoffish with him that morning. But he shrugged it off, knowing he hadn't done anything – perhaps Lady Babcock had refused another round the night before, or maybe she wouldn't turn around and let herself be taken from the back.

They all got funny sometimes about that end. They just needed a firm hand to hold them in place and then he'd have them screaming his name, whether they liked it at first or not.

But that wasn't currently his concern. Perhaps it would be, later; Marie wasn't exactly going to be there on the tour to act as his meat, so he'd have to find some cheaper replacement. And by cheaper, he obviously meant more expensive.

That was the only thing he was sure that he would miss about their arrangement – getting exactly what he wanted, whenever he wanted it, all from a wife who couldn't complain about it? How many men got to live that dream?

He'd made her cry out that she was his whore the last time they'd been together. She hadn't wanted to, but he'd made her do it anyway. He wouldn't stop until she did. Pity that had been a while ago now, before all the business with finding Niles and Lady Babcock in bed.

He'd have liked to have heard it again, before he'd gone away. Perhaps he'd hear it when he got back...

Perhaps he'd get the actual whore to say it as well, when Niles finally had his fill of Lady Babcock and was busy trying to put a worthy son and heir in a respectable wife.

He liked it when he got to claim them, and have them acknowledge it, too. And God knows he was determined to claim her – he'd fuck her so hard and so many times that it would be like Niles had never been in her in the first place. But that was just a pleasant dream for now. He'd see about making everything a reality when he got back, and had finalised all the details of Niles' wedding.

The boy would have to learn then, sharpish.

"I'll see you in a few months' time, boy," Joseph said, finally climbing into his carriage and waving his final goodbyes at his only child. His pride and joy. "Enjoy being in charge while you can!"

Again, Niles said nothing. He just nodded sharply at his father's words and remained stood where he was as his father's carriage slowly made its way down Whitehall's driveway and out into the street. He couldn't help but compare the image with a dog running away with its tail between its legs – his father shied away from duty, living only for the privileges and pleasures that his position provided. There was no honour in being a weak, frolicking excuse of a King and Niles had no intention of imitating his father's ways. He wouldn't be responsible for running the country to the ground – what's more, after his father's disastrous reign, Niles would probably have to pull it back up.

So, yes, he'd enjoy being in charge. He couldn't wait until it was him calling the shots and not his boor of a father. He would be the complete opposite of him, both in his private and public life.

And that brought him to the next item on his to-do list – getting his own carriage ready to leave for his hunting lodge. At long last, the moment he and his beloved had been waiting for had arrived and he simply couldn't wait.

It hadn't been easy, keeping the whole affair under wraps, but somehow he and C.C. had managed to carry out most of the preparations for their wedding without rousing any suspicions. Dress, jewellery, priest, feast – everything was ready and waiting for them at the lodge. Both the Sheffields (who had only recently been put abreast of their plan) and Margaret and Noel had arrived a few days earlier and were already settled. As for Marie and C.C., they had left two hours ago in separate carriages. For all the rest of the inhabitants of Whitehall knew, C.C. had fallen out of favour with the queen, so it would have been looked slightly suspicious if the two women were seen together.

As a matter of fact, no one knew that Marie was actually going to Niles' hunting lodge. Instead, she'd spread the rumour that she would be spending a few days away at her favourite retreat: Windsor! It was an ideal cover – no one would suspect a thing…

It was all going perfectly, and Niles couldn't be more excited if he tried.

His very own wedding was coming so very quickly now. It wasn't hard to imagine that he'd have been married for a few days by the end of the week, but it was still unbelievable, nonetheless! He'd been dreaming of the moment practically non-stop for days now, and each time it was just as wonderful and magical as the first moment he'd known that he was going to propose!

He'd been missing out on so much, thinking that toying with women, having his fun and then dropping them was better than what he was about to do. He'd been blind, but his beloved had opened his eyes.

She'd shown him what true love was, and he was going to make up to her for it for the rest of their lives. He'd take care of her in every way possible, and see to it that she was never anything apart from happy and content.

He could see their future already, and it was filled with golden haired children, too. As golden as the sun, as beautiful as their mother, and all as bright and happy as the days they would have ahead.

His father had never known that kind of happiness. He never would, and Niles pitied him for that. Underneath all the other angry feelings, of course. Joseph truly had lived a contemptible and pathetic life, under the guise of making himself out to be a giant among men or a god among mortals.

Vanity. It was pure vanity. And now that Niles knew how bad, weak and disgusting it all was, he wanted nothing more to do with it. He was just about able to stand being around someone who did any of it!

Luckily, he wouldn't have to for a while. His father would be away for a considerable length of time – it would be the reprieve they all needed. And it would give himself and C.C. the chance they needed to get started as a married couple.

A chance to try for their first child, which was a thought that truly excited him.

He'd wanted to be a father for so long...his first attempt had not worked as he had hoped, and that had been crushing. It still was, when the image of being nineteen and being told that the little boy and his mother were both dead came into his mind. He hadn't loved her, by any stretch of the imagination, but he'd loved the baby from the moment he'd known about him. His mind had been completely taken over by the thought of being a father, right from hearing that he was going to be one – he thought all the time of having a son, whom he would have taught all he knew and spent as much time with as he could, even if it would have caused a scandal to some people. He hadn't cared that the boy was an accident and wouldn't have been able to inherit from him; that wasn't the point. The fact was that that was his boy, and he had been prepared to love him, no matter what. Even before the...the horrible announcement, he'd ordered clothes for the baby, settled with a selection of tutors to give him the best education possible, had been thinking of future horses to breed to give him his own foal...but it had all gone away again, just like that.

He knew he'd adore his future children just as much, and feel twice as blessed to know that they would also be the sons and daughters of the woman he truly loved. His C.C., who'd one day rule by his side, with no one in their way to say that she couldn't.

A dark part of him suggested that it couldn't wait for that day to come. He didn't dismiss the thought so much as store it at the back of his mind, knowing it and acknowledging it, but not going any further than that. His father might've been a bastard with no love for anyone but himself, but Niles wouldn't stoop so low as to do something so vile.

His mother might've suggested that he shouldn't think such things, if she were privy to his thoughts, but she was simply too good for the world. She had more reason than anybody to think what he'd just been thinking, but she would still insist on some things.

Her son not talking about committing an evil act, for a start.

She deserved better than she had gotten, he thought to himself with a sigh. All she'd ever done was love and try her best to please everyone, but she had been rejected, humiliated and given only pain in return.

He'd make it up to her. Somehow, he would.

"You!" Niles said, gesturing for one of his servants to come closer. "Have my own carriage ready and pack my bags – I will be leaving for my lodge. Do inform the Privy Council that, should they need me, I will be happy to receive them there, where I'll be carrying out most of my work."

The young page bowed to him and left with a quiet "Yes, sir" to do the prince's bidding.

Niles trusted it wouldn't take long – C.C. had already taken most of the things he'd need with her in the carriage, so he only needed some extra clothes, books, and the legal documents he'd be needing to run the country while his father was away. Marriage was something he took seriously, but he couldn't just stop acting as regent because he'd be taking a wife. His people still needed him – it was, of course, a rather unfortunate consequence of his status.

C.C. was aware of this, and she perfectly understood. They had, however, agreed on taking a few days off to enjoy from newly-wedded bliss and start on their project of bringing an heir into this world.

Not that he would admit it, but Niles felt oddly nervous whenever he thought about the fact that, in just over a day, he'd finally be able to take his beloved. The Niles from one year ago would have probably been bouncing off the walls, but for some strange reason his new self felt…_trepidation_.

Perhaps it was because it actually mattered, this time. It could've been because the idea of it being within a marriage was new and a little nerve-racking, if exciting, in its own way. Maybe it was because he loved her, and he truly cared about it being good for her, beyond the expectations of praise that he'd usually get for being good in bed.

He was worried about it being the latter. It was easy enough for a whore to tell him how magnificent he was, if she knew it would get her an extra coin or two. The ladies and girls he'd charmed into doing it for free had all been trying to charm him right back in their own ways, hoping their hollow adoration and empty words might get them more than just a trinket. It didn't matter if they'd liked any of it or not, they never would've told him so.

What would happen if his beloved didn't enjoy it? She didn't necessarily have to feel pain to not enjoy it, but what happened once it was all over and she just hadn't liked it? Any of it?

Of course, he could only think that she wouldn't tell him out of politeness, and possibly from overhearing other, older women around her that sometimes wives just had to put up and shut up about things when it came to men.

But he didn't want her to do that – he wanted to know what she was thinking and feeling. He wanted to know that she was enjoying herself and getting pleasure from the things he would do.

That was, if she wanted him to do them in the first place. He'd never force her, he wasn't a monster. But what if the mere thought of it was too much? Unlike most girls her age, who had probably already been married or at least had...been with somebody, she'd had no experience whatsoever. What if it was all too overwhelming?

The mere thought of it all was...daunting, to say the least. But he had to simply go on; he couldn't embarrass his beloved by trying to ask about any of it. She wouldn't have been sure herself, and he wanted to protect her from his own insecurities.

How else was anybody even going to attempt to enjoy the night?

He tried to keep the pressure of that last one out of his head, but it was almost as though it came in a package with everything else. The wedding, his future family, the wedding night...

It was making him sweat a little even as he stood there – was this the nervousness people spoke about just before they got married? He couldn't have been the only man in the world ever to have these kind of thoughts and doubts, could he?

Had he been anybody else, with practically any other family, he would have been able to ask his father. Even an older male would've sufficed – his uncle, King Louis, maybe, had he been able to come to the wedding.

He'd been more than generous enough as it was. He couldn't expect him to dish out advice whenever he wanted, when he'd already offered C.C. a place in his court if worst came to the worst and she had to flee England.

He couldn't ask his friends, either – Maxwell would've found the subject far too awkward when he explained a certain part of why he felt so nervous (not to mention, he wasn't there with him right now), and all the other young lords would've just laughed.

So, as things were, he had no one. And he had to simply deal with these things alone.

This was yet another example of his father's failure as a parent. After all, weren't sons supposed to be shaped into their own father's image? His father had certainly tried to mould him into a little copy of himself – a monstrous creation that would have condemned Niles to fiery damnation. It was lucky that he'd seen the error of his ways and had changed for the better.

His father had taught him the type of man he didn't want to be. Not anymore, at least. He had many sins to account for, but with C.C. by his side, he was certain he would never stray again. He'd vowed to be the best man he could be for her and for their children, and when sons came along, he would bring them up to be respectable, God-fearing gentlemen instead of lustful boors.

Niles smiled at the thought – he could already see himself surrounded by a horde of golden-haired little boys and playing with them. He simply couldn't wait!

It was this eagerness what probably made time crawl by, but eventually one of the servant came to inform him his ride was ready and waiting.

At last, the time had come! He'd be married to his beloved in no time at all and they could put an end to anything his father said! They'd be safe, legally husband and wife, and they would have the family he'd started dreaming of having...

His past self would've been mortified as he hurried off to the carriage, but Niles didn't care what that pig thought. He simply wasn't that person – if he deserved such a title for his behaviour – anymore. He loved one woman, he didn't chase after others like he thought they were sport, and he certainly didn't keep a tally. He was not some great lover and it didn't make him a hero, having so many piles of women at his feet.

Especially not when he'd dropped them there.

He had a new life ahead of him, with the woman he loved by his side and the promise of children at their feet. That was more than enough – it was exactly what he wanted, and he didn't intend to waste time standing around when he could be heading to it right that moment.

He had never dreamed that he'd elope. But, then again, he'd never imagined that he'd be in love with the bride he was marrying, either. It was all still overwhelming, in a sense, but as he climbed into the carriage and bade the footman to shut the door behind him quickly, he knew he wouldn't want it to feel any other way.

* * *

Marie simply couldn't be happier.

Back when she'd first arrived in England to marry the man who would be her husband, she'd been quick to bury the notion of being able to have a loving marriage. Joseph's nature had been crystal clear since the get-go, and as such she'd never been hopeful about experiencing romantic love.

Except for a few short years between Josephine's and Niles' births, her marriage had been a complete disaster. She and her husband could barely tolerate one another, so it had only been natural for things to fall apart. It had been a long time coming, but the last nail in their coffin had been Josie's death. Marie had been pregnant with Niles at the time, but after their daughter's (who Joseph would always say was his favourite) untimely death, Joseph had all but abandoned Marie.

He'd avoided her like the plague, choosing only to visit when the news reached him that she had given birth to their son. Even then, he'd barely acknowledged her in the room, focusing only on every aspect of Niles. Newly born, smaller than their other babies had been. And Joseph had made sure to deliberately mention that fact, as well as many others that spoke of his disdain. He had thought Niles' screeching cries were strained, as though they'd fail at any moment. He'd noted that the boy didn't have a strong grip, like a future king should have. He'd even made sure to be extra loud when ordering the servants to close the windows, lest the baby "have his life snuffed out by a gentle, slightly chilled breeze".

He'd even suggested that Marie name Niles, claiming that he didn't see any point in getting attached. That attitude didn't change until their boy grew, bigger and stronger, until he was as healthy and golden and perfect as their own Josie had been. Joseph started showing interest in their son, then. That had become complete adoration the moment Niles had been old enough to start speaking, and his first word had been "Dada".

But his change of heart over their son hadn't extended back to her. She'd seen it, one of the first days he'd come to her chambers, simply to take their boy in his arms and walk out again. He'd barely even spoken to her, or given any acknowledgment of her existence.

That had been the moment she'd realised they simply weren't meant to be. Had never been meant to be. They were too different — too different for them to even try and be cordial to one another.

So she'd surrendered hope and gotten used to the idea that a life she'd hoped would be full of love and happiness, would be the opposite.

But not anymore. Not when her son was getting married to a girl he actually loved – the perfect girl for him, no less – and she could see a future for them stretching out into a golden horizon.

She had feared for so long that Niles would simply become a copy of his father. Never caring about any of the many women he was with, hurting and humiliating the one that had the misfortune of marrying him, spreading misery and pain while basking in some self-created glory...

But when he had taken the time and gotten to know Lady Babcock, all of that had changed. He'd become a whole new person, little by little, until he no longer resembled the boor she was almost ashamed to have brought up.

He'd found his love. The woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. And he had promised that there would be lots of grandchildren for Marie to dote on – a family that she could love and spoil, when her own children had not survived long enough for it to happen.

She'd not been able to have children for many years, now. Granted, she had been able to get pregnant, but all of them had ended in one heartbreaking miscarriage after another. She'd held on tightly to her remaining child - her boy - after that. Niles had kept her going throughout her whole life, and just before she had left for his lodge, he had said that he and his new bride would make sure she had such a large family around her that she would never know what to do with herself.

She'd never be alone again.

It might not have been the happy ending she had imagined, back when she'd been a young, naive French princess, but it was just as good.

That turned into more than just as good, as C.C.'s voice came from the other room, muffled by the closed door Marie had been standing and watching guard from.

"I...I think I'm ready, Marie...!"

This was it. The moment she'd see her future daughter-in-law for the first time, wearing her wedding dress!

They were going to head to the chapel to practice and pray before the official ceremony, and Marie had been given the honour of accompanying her. It was a task she held with great reverence and love in her heart.

Normally it would have been C.C's mother doing such a thing. Sadly, that wasn't possible, so the task now fell on Marie. After all, they were her new family now: her, Niles and that half-brother of hers, who had been nothing but a kind and jolly figure ever since he and his wife had arrived. But this moment called for a matriarchal presence – something Marie was more than happy to provide.

She opened the door without hesitation, but with a sense of building anticipation in her heart. Said feeling quickly exploded into an overwhelming sense of awe the moment she looked up and set eyes on C.C..

The ballgown she'd chosen made her look every inch the woman she was. A high waisted bodice for a slim, statuesque build. Full sleeves for the demure look of a bride, and a long train just to prove it...

Everything about each detail was magnificent. The colour could remind one of clear summer skies that stretched into lazy, happy afternoons. Silver thread embroidery delicately curved and swirled about the train, and gemstones glittered – no, she glittered – in the light, so that all who saw might think an angel, or perhaps some great and benevolent sky goddess from a mythology long forgotten had come to make herself known on Earth again.

If Niles did not appreciate seeing her in this gown (and by that, Marie meant if he didn't get down on his knees and thank the Lord God Almighty), then she wasn't entirely sure that her son would deserve such a bride!

It only made her excitement grow tenfold at the prospect of the next day. The ceremony was going to be wonderful, she could feel it in her very soul! She could see the rays of sun coming in through the chapel window already, bathing the couple in warmth and light and setting them apart in grace and love and beauty from their well-wishers...

It wouldn't be the flashy, over-the-top occasions that most royal weddings were. It was going to be sweet, and quiet, and celebrate the love of two people, not the convenience of a match. It would not lead to hurt, or suffering. There would only be happiness, and peace, and togetherness.

It would suit Corinthians, chapter thirteen, verses four to eight, so perfectly. Their love was patient, and kind. It did not boast, it was not proud...

And it was all happening tomorrow.

It was making Marie's eyes mist over and her breath catch in her throat to even think of it! In mere hours, the woman she saw in front of her would be her daughter-in-law, and her family would grow.

Grow, in size and love, when she'd thought she'd given up all hope of the latter ever happening.

"C.C.," she eventually breathed out, reaching discreetly for her handkerchief that she always kept hidden in her sleeve. "You...oh, chérie, you look so beautiful...! Just...just wonderful!"

C.C.'s beaming smile and rapidly reddening cheeks turned towards the floor, embarrassed by the words. She didn't think she'd ever been called any of that by anybody, apart from Niles.

"Thank you," she was sure she mumbled but the queen didn't look as though she minded. "I was so excited, getting it all fitted! Margaret insisted on using the finest fabrics she had in her store – she'd even had some of them imported! They were ready and waiting, in case a lady or duchess came to order a new gown. She ended up using most of the imported fabrics, which made me feel bad because she'll have to order more, but she didn't mind. She said it was only right, for a family wedding, and the wedding of a future queen...!"

"And right she eez, chérie! You deserve nozhing but zhe very best," said the Queen before giving his future daughter-in-law a tight hug.

A few tear sprang from her eyes and Marie made no effort to hide them. She might not have carried or given birth to the young woman currently in her arms, but she certainly loved her like a daughter. Being part of hers and Niles' special day was a miracle and a blessing all rolled into one!

"We should get going," Marie sniffed and pulled away to dab at her teary eyes. "We 'ave no time to lose…"

Together, Marie and C.C. made their joint way to the chapel. Neither said anything while walking there – they were too immersed in their own little, happy thoughts. The future ahead was, undoubtedly, uncertain, but they couldn't help feeling hopeful. They had a plan; the only step left was following it.

Upon entering the chapel, they quickly greeted the others - Noel and Margaret, along with the Sheffields - before meeting with Reverend Smith. He was the most trusted person to marry the couple - Marie had selected him herself, based on her long-standing friendship with him. He had been her confidante since the time he'd been chosen to guide her and teach her all about the Anglican branch of the faith, upon her conversion, so she couldn't think of anyone better.

The reverend had been as sympathetic as he could have been, when the young queen had started coming to him for lessons. Even if she had made an attempt to hide it, she'd been despondent about being forced to recant her Catholicism. She still was, to some extent. In her heart, she had never given it up, but her position simply wouldn't allow her to openly declare it.

The Reverend greeted them warmly when they joined the group.

"Your Majesty," he bowed to Marie graciously, and nodded with respect towards C.C.. "And this must be the Lady Babcock, if I am not mistaken?"

C.C. nodded and curtsied politely in return, giving very little verbal reply. Or, at least it seemed that way when Fran Sheffield then cut in. The two women had only been introduced a few hours before (quickly "sharing scandals" – Fran had infamously been Maxwell's children's nanny when they'd fallen in love and married), but it had been made clear that the noblewoman was...somewhat peculiar. Everything from the way she'd held her head up high while all the other noblewomen whispered about her climbing her way unscrupulously up the social ladder by bewitching a widower, to her incredibly nasal, piercing voice, made her stand out like a red spot on a white sheet.

C.C. didn't mind that, though, or much else about Fran. She liked the other woman; she found her happy energy refreshing. Like sunshine after a rainstorm. Even with her huge belly protruding until she was almost ready to burst, she still had a smile on her face and looked ready to do anything.

That was why it didn't bother her too much when the brunette started to speak.

"Ya'd be forgiven fer it ya were! Lady Babcock, you look gorgeous! Like a whole new you! Not that the old you dressed badly or anythin', or was really even that old, but–"

"What I think my lady wife is trying to say," Maxwell stepped in diplomatically. "Is that you look wonderful, Lady Babcock. Every inch the demure and blushing bride!"

Trying not to laugh in amusement at Fran's stumbling attempts, C.C. curtsied as best she could in reply, considering her new dress. She was terrified of tearing it, or even letting the stitching or fabric strain or split the wrong way. Not the day before, and not when everything was going so wonderfully!

"Thank you, Lord Sheffield; Lady Sheffield. And yes, I am Lady Babcock, sir," she replied to the reverend. "I must thank you, for agreeing to conduct my marriage. So many in your position wouldn't agree to such a thing...!"

She wondered if she had maybe said the wrong thing, as soon as that was out of her mouth; she didn't know about how he perceived anybody else in the clergy! What if he held many of them in high regard?! What if he felt that she was being unfair to those who were called to do God's work, and imagined that she would treat him the same way?!

It was only after a moment (in which breath never left nor entered her body) that the Reverend Smith smiled humbly and shook his head.

"I am not here to decide where love is to be found, and I am certainly not here to forbid it in anyone. I am more than honoured to marry yourself and His Royal Highness, even if some of my colleagues in the clergy might find it...unconventional."

C.C. beamed back at him, relieved and never having felt more safe in a place that didn't have Niles in it. Marie had chosen a good man to conduct the ceremony, and C.C. was certain that the wedding itself would be all the better for it.

"Thank you, again, good sir," she replied, before looking around at the others and the chapel. "It is a lovely place, is it not?"

"It absolutely is," the Reverend agreed. "Now, would her Ladyship like to start the rehearsal?"

C.C. didn't need to be told twice and, soon enough, the rehearsal was underway. The ceremony was to be shorter than usual for a royal wedding, but it didn't really matter. They could do without the pomp and flourish of a wedding for someone of Niles' station, but they absolutely couldn't do without one another.

As long as they were married, nothing else really mattered.

* * *

Once the rehearsal was over, party gathered at the chapel made their way back to the lodge. They spotted Niles' carriage almost instantly, and Marie was soon ushering C.C. back into the house through one of the back doors.

"'urry up, Chérie!" said the queen, "We do not want your future 'usband to see you just yet!"

"Can't I at least go and say hi?" C.C. pleaded with Marie – in the short hours they'd been apart she'd actually missed her prince. She knew she was being sappy and probably a little clingy, but she simply couldn't help it!

Though the look on Marie's face suggested that she intended to nip that little behaviour in the bud very quickly.

"You may not. You will see 'im tomorrow, just like every ozher bride in zhe country when waiting for 'er bridegroom," the queen replied, hurriedly sending her charge in the other direction still. "Zhis wedding might not entirely be like any ozher wedding zhat has taken place in zhis family, but one tradition shall always stand, as long as I am alive to uphold it!"

C.C. raised an eyebrow as she was practically frogmarched away from the front end of the house and where Niles' carriage was arriving.

Marie clearly took her rituals and superstitions seriously, and she didn't intend to let other people not adhere to them while she was around! It was almost overwhelming, the dedication the queen could provide when she intended to make sure that people followed her orders!

C.C. supposed that she could only respect what her soon-to-be mother-in-law wished. That was, if she didn't want to get marched straight out of the house and kept in the nearest barn until it was time for the ceremony!

"Now, we are getting you back to your room," Marie explained. "Zhe sooner zhe end of zhe day comes, zhe sooner you will be asleep and resting for tomorrow. And when zhat 'appens, eet will be 'ere and you will not 'ave to ask eef you may see Niles!"

C.C. smiled – after tomorrow, she and Niles wouldn't need to ask for permission to see each other or be chaperoned. They'd be man and wife in the eyes of the Lord and would have the right to lie together. The notion was wonderful.

So much so that she happily allowed Marie to frogmarch her into the room, lost in her daydreams about her future life with the man she knew was her one and only.


	21. Chapter 21

_**Chapter 20**_

The afternoon had felt awfully slow, and time continued to drag past Niles as he waited for his bride at the chapel. He'd arrived twenty minutes ago and, if he wasn't mistaken, it wouldn't be long until C.C.'s arrival, either.

Their friends had already arrived and were sitting and waiting far more patiently than he was. They all knew it wouldn't be long at all, but to them, twenty minutes had felt like a much shorter time than it had done for him.

He didn't know much longer he'd be able to tell himself that it wouldn't be long. The night had been unbearable; so much so, he'd actually tried to sneak out to get to C.C.'s room, only to be turned back by his mother the moment he'd thought he'd made it. Marie had been on her anti-pre-marital-consummation patrol, even if she hadn't told him quite as much, and she'd ordered him back to bed with threats of denying him access to his bride post-marriage, if he didn't leave her be until the morning.

He'd had to leave it. He knew she meant it, and he wasn't taking the risk.

Not when they were both so close to spending the rest of their lives together, with nobody to come between them. They had been kept apart for the past day and a half, but he knew that their separation would soon be over.

They'd never be apart again, once this ceremony was complete. It was the thought he kept in mind as he waited, imagining each part of how their life would be starting tomorrow, and eventually, he heard the chapel doors open behind him.

His beloved had arrived, ready at last to become his wife.

He had to keep himself facing forward until she got to his side. But it was so difficult – he could hear the gasps and admiration coming from Fran, Margaret and his mother, so it already suggested how beautiful C.C. looked.

Well, he knew she would look beautiful anyway. But he wanted to see how she looked in the regalia she would be crowned in. Though he knew that would be some time in the future, yet.

It seemed an age until she made it to his side.

But when she did, on the arm of her beaming brother, it was worth every second of the wait.

His mother had said the dress was beautiful, but the truth was more complicated than that – it was more like the dress was an extension of her beauty; royal blue, with the finest trim and matching jewellery that mortal eye ever did see. Her golden hair was brushed back and lifted, perfect for a crown to sit on her head one day, even if today only a gorgeous tiara lay there.

She was every inch a future queen, and more than half-way to being divine.

Had they not been in a place of worship for the one true God, he would have insisted that the little congregation bring tribute and lay it at her feet, before singing her praises so that she might bestow blessings upon them.

When C.C. and Noel, who was dressed in his absolute finest clothes, reached Niles, he placed his sister's hand in Niles'. He knew the prince would take care of his sister, and make her the happiest woman on Earth.

He bowed to the prince and then went to take his seat next to Margaret, his eyes suspiciously glassy.

The Reverend Smith stepped forward, cleared his throat, and began to speak. The ceremony had started.

"Dearly beloved," he said, "we are gathered here in the sight of God to join this man and this woman together in holy matrimony."

The bride and groom smiled at each other, clearly lost in their own little world. Anyone who had eyes could easily see just how in love they were, and that no force on this Earth would break them apart. They drifted in and out of the reverend's speech, replying to the anthems and prayers when necessary, but for them the world consisted of only the both of them.

And then, finally, the moment to say their vows came. The rings were ready to be made one, and so were they.

After joining their hands, Niles spoke.

"I, Niles, take thee Chastity-Claire to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, 'til death do us part."

Then, it was C.C.'s turn.

"I, Chastity-Claire, take thee Niles to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, 'til death do us part."

The reverend said something that they barely heard, they were looking at each other so much. But they knew what was to happen; now it was time for the ring – singular, not plural – to go where Niles had dreamed of it being for ages.

He took the half of the ring he had worn off his finger, preparing it for its new place.

He then took her hand in his, the ring half in the fingers of his other. They were trembling from the adrenaline, but he was steady enough to repeat the vows he was to give.

"Chastity-Claire, I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage," he said. "With my body, I worship you..."

He would. Every chance he would get, for the rest of their lives.

"All that I am, I give to you..."

He was hers. That would never change; all she had to do was ask something of him, and it would be done.

"All that I have, I share with you..."

He'd do more than share his future kingdom with her. He would gift it to her, and consider it a worthy exchange, even if she only smiled at him in return.

"Within the love of God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."

With that said, he slipped his half of the ring onto her finger, carefully fitting the two parts together. They fit snugly and securely, forming the symbol of his and C.C's lifelong unity.

It made his heart swell with love and joy to know it would stay there, too. To Niles, the glittering stones could never compare with the sparkle in her eyes, and the band could not hope to outshine to her golden hair. But it shone so nicely on his wife's finger, and it was one of the many signs that she was his, and no one could take her away.

It was much the same when she began her own vows, her voice sounding like music in his ears. She might have had no ring to put on his finger, but it didn't matter. He would – eventually – show the world his devotion to her in his actions and his words.

Until that day, he would simply show his devotion to the person who mattered the most: his bride.

"Niles, I receive this ring as a sign of our marriage. With my body I worship you..."

That was something they would broach later that night, and he could hear the nervousness in her tone, even as she did her best to hide it. But he adored her, and would see to it that he did everything to make her comfortable.

"All that I am, I give to you..."

He couldn't have asked for anything more. He wasn't sure he deserved such an honour, but he was grateful beyond words for it.

"All that I have, I share with you..."

They could've had nothing and he wouldn't have minded at all. As long as he got to share life with her, it was all that mattered.

"Within the love of God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit."

After the rings had been given over and made one, the reverend went straight back to his part in the ceremony.

"In the presence of God, and before this congregation, His Royal Highness and Lady Chastity-Claire have given their consent and made their marriage vows to each other," he said. "They have declared their marriage by the joining of hands and by the giving and receiving of rings. I therefore proclaim that they be husband and wife together."

He took their joined hands and covered them with his own.

"What God has put together, let no man put asunder," he declared, and the little congregation burst into cheers as loud as if they had filled an entire cathedral. Niles then kissed his bride – a chaste peck on the lips, that was all – and then turned to their friends and family.

"I hereby present Their Royal Highnesses, the Prince and Princess of Wales!"

_The Prince and Princess of Wales_. The title almost sounded foreign to Niles, even though he'd held half of it for his entire life!

It was foreign like...like a whole new world had just opened up in front of his eyes. A different country that no one had ever discovered before, teeming with wildlife on its wide open plains, running with crystal-clear rivers and lakes that lapped gently at banks and shores, trees hanging ripe with sweet, untried fruit just waiting to be plucked...

It was a magnificent feeling. A feeling of adventure, and excitement. And he got to share it all with the woman he loved, just as one day they'd share a crown.

C.C., meanwhile, had almost looked towards the door when the reverend had announced the Prince and Princess of Wales. For a split second in her mind, she had wondered who else had been invited and since when had there ever been another Prince of Wales...?

Then she'd remembered. Well, "realised" was more the word.

That was them. _She_ was the Princess of Wales now!

She...was the Princess of Wales...!

It was fortunate that she was holding onto Niles' arm as they made their way down through the chapel – it made not collapsing at the mere knowledge so much easier!

Princess...she was a _princess_…

In the space of just a few months, she'd lost everything she'd ever had, been reduced to a maid, risen the servant ranks, and now...now, she was in love, married as of seconds prior, and her love had made her a princess!

Part of her wanted to weep for joy. She didn't know what she'd done to deserve a second chance – in as high and mighty a position, either – after almost her whole family had been taken away. But she knew she was going to use it. She'd be as loving and attentive a wife as ever there was, and she'd...do what princesses did?

She had so little experience of royal life from that side! Perhaps she'd do the things that Marie did, when she was serving her? She'd have to ask, when she got the chance...

Her head was spinning though, so she thought she might give it some time and wait for everything to calm down before she tried!

Besides, she had a party to get going to. Their wedding celebration wouldn't be a grand affair, like most royal weddings were, but it would certainly be special. Niles and Marie had spared no expense, and as such a magnificent spread would already be waiting for them at the house, complete with wedding cake, live music and litres of the finest liquor money could buy.

C.C. simply couldn't wait. She'd never been one to daydream about her wedding day, but the celebration couldn't have been any more perfect if they'd tried! Well, if she was being honest, they could have eloped at some dingy little chapel lost in the middle of the woods with only God as their witness and it would have still been perfect – as long as it was the two of them and she got to call him her husband at the end of the day, then anything would do.

Together, the newlywed couple made their way out of the chapel, hands joined and hearts bursting with happiness in their chests, There was no angelical choir, or fanfare, or gilded carriage at the exit – no pomp and circumstance. There was only a short walk up to their house, lined with a few smiling servants who'd been tasked with throwing rice at the happy couple. And it was enough.

More than enough, C.C. thought to herself as she and her new husband shared a loving smile and a quick peck on the lips. They'd be doing a lot more than that that, soon enough, but for the time being they had to keep decorum and be dignified in front of their few guests.

They were a prince and a princess, now, after all. There were expectations on them that didn't exist for most other people in society, even it was obvious that most brides and grooms had to keep their wedding day a formal affair.

It was an extra level of chastity and restraint, C.C. supposed. But it didn't matter – it was only for a few hours; anyone could wait that amount of time.

She tried not to let nerves creep up on her when she thought that. Only a few hours, and she'd be...finding out what everybody else had been talking about for so long. Finding out if she even liked it. Finding out if _Niles_ liked it with _her_...

She had to distract herself from those thoughts. They'd swallow up her entire evening if she kept them in her mind, and that was the last thing she wanted.

She could be nervous about it when the time came, not before.

Having extra expectations didn't appear to stop Niles from practically skidding to a halt when they reached the front door, either. C.C. couldn't help but look at him with a quirked eyebrow when he did.

What were they waiting for? They had a wedding celebration to get to, just through that front door!

He appeared to know what she was thinking, however, because he gave her a lopsided grin in return.

"Are you ready to enter a home as only a bride should?" he asked.

C.C. wasn't sure what that meant entirely, but she trusted him. Even if that grin of his always made her think that he was up to something!

"I...I suppose I am..."

As soon as those words were out of her mouth, she found Niles scooping her up in his arms and planting a kiss on her lips as he carried her over the threshold and into the lodge.

This, they knew, symbolised a new beginning.

The beginning, hopefully, of the rest of their lives.


	22. Chapter 22

_**Chapter 21**_

It had been a whole month since their wedding night and C.C. still didn't think she'd ever felt warmer than whenever she woke up next to her husband.

Not in a good way, anyway – summers left warm, sticky nights that woke her up from the heat and made it near-impossible to get comfortable. Bouts of illness often did the same, at any time of day.

But this...waking up with nothing between her bare body and her husband's, felt warm in the most gentle and welcoming of ways. It was loving, and intimate – the perfect beginning to a new life together. And it had all started off on their wedding day.

She remembered that the wedding festivities had been a colourful, joyous affair, even if it had been small. Beer and wine had flowed like rivers, and the wedding feast had been devoured in half the time it had taken the cooks to prepare it. There had been music, and laughter, and dancing until the very latest hours of the night, before the bride and groom had decided to head to bed at last.

C.C. had let the nerves creep back in then, and they had only worsened when they'd been separated so that the servants could dress and prepare them for their first night together. She hadn't known what was coming – she hadn't known what to think or how to feel, and she had been scared out of her mind that their wedding night would end up being some sort of minor disaster. Thoughts of him not finding her attractive, or it not being good for either of them had swirled around in her mind for what had felt like hours, making her dread what was to come.

She remembered wishing she could go to Marie, Margaret or Lady Sheffield – maybe ask them if what she'd been feeling was normal – but a more reasonable part of her had forced herself to stay put and wait for Niles. She'd been left alone to wait for him in their new joint rooms, and every second without him there had only worsened her anxiety.

She hadn't been too happy when she'd realised his arrival did very little to quell her nerves, either. If anything it had made them worse! The moment of truth had arrived. and she'd felt completely and totally unprepared for anything that was going to happen…

He'd been able to tell, of course. Still, he'd been kind enough not to mention her obvious distress. He'd known it wouldn't have helped. Instead, he'd gone to her and taken her into his arms. She'd appreciated that he'd taken the first step – she didn't think she could have.

He'd started small, at first. Just kisses and light touches before they'd eventually made their way to their bed, all in an attempt to help her relax. They hadn't gone any further until she'd specifically said that she was ready.

It had taken some time until they had come to...well, what she supposed could be termed "the next stage" in the evening. He'd been extremely soft when he'd undressed her – it still made her swoon, if she thought too much about it!

She'd tried to cover herself at first, feeling awkward and embarrassed to be completely naked, in front of him. But he had stopped her from pulling the covers over, adoration in his eyes as he'd taken her into his arms and kissed her, helping her to relax and feel...safer. More like she was home. He'd gently explored her body with cuddles and caresses, feeling her breasts and planting kisses on her shoulders, all the way up her neck and cheeks.

He hadn't pressed further until she'd been ready to lie down so that he could prepare her with his tongue and fingers. His actions had left her peaking and falling into a blissful haze several times over. They had also given her the confidence and the courage she'd needed to finally give him the go-ahead to remove his own nightgown so they could consummate their love and their marriage.

Naturally, her bravado had all but vanished the moment he'd settled in between her legs and positioned himself at her entrance. She hadn't felt ready, and she'd barely felt comfortable enough to even move, really. Especially in the first few moments, when the feeling of him pushing into her had been so different to anything she'd ever experienced. Still, she'd pushed through.

The initial pain had scared her a little (though not too much – she'd known losing her maidenhead usually hurt. Marie and Margaret had told her so in order to prepare her), but she'd soon been comforted by her loving husband. He'd been so soft and kind, and he'd assured her that they could take as long as she needed before moving things along.

He'd truly and really and truly done everything right, taking care of her at every turn throughout their first night together. And that had certainly paid off! The more they'd gotten into it, the more her fear of things going wrong had lessened. What's more – she couldn't have enjoyed herself more if she'd tried. And they'd certainly tried until they'd exhausted themselves that night!

There really had been nothing to be afraid of. Not when she'd been with him and when he'd been more than happy to guide her, gently, and with the patience of a man who wanted what was best for the woman he intended to be with for the rest of his life. Letting go of her fear and giving in to pleasure had been the only logical thing to do…

He'd made her feel special every time he took her – that night and ever since, in a way that she couldn't fully describe. His touch (and certain parts of his anatomy) were addictive, almost – she hadn't been able to get enough, ever since. Niles had been more than willing to oblige, as well, even as he'd playfully teased her for her insatiability. Not that she'd minded that – she knew it was all in good fun.

They were trying for a baby, after all, so the more they were together, the greater the chance.

That was every day they could manage, anyway. And at any time and place, too. Being with him had become such an integral part of her day that, on the rare occasions when he had to go back to court, she'd be left at a loss with what to do with herself, apart from wait for him to return and make love to her.

It didn't take a genius for anyone to realise that the days when he was gone were the longest and hardest for the new Princess of Wales. No matter how hard Marie, Fran, Margaret or even her ladies-in-waiting tried to make her feel better, and even if she knew he would return to her and take her in his arms every night when he got back, she couldn't help missing him during the day.

She knew he missed her terribly during those times, too. He'd grown to adore their domesticity, and it killed him to have to be away from her because of work. The fact that he also had to hide his newfound happiness wasn't easy, either. Going back to court meant pretending there was no loving wife waiting for him; it meant having to tolerate his father's Councilmen's teasing and lecherous remarks about him finally having dropped his once favourite "whore" (the first time he'd heard someone refer to his wife as his whore, Niles had nearly broken their jaw) since she was nowhere to be found; it meant having to endure being hours away from returning home, instead of knowing his wife was safe upstairs...the only thought which kept him going was that one day, she would be.

It wasn't easy, for either of them, but C.C. wouldn't change it for anything.

Not when it meant being married to the most wonderful man in the entire world.

Said man was currently asleep next to her, smiling warmly in his sleep and looking more relaxed than C.C. had seen him in ages. It was obvious that handling an entire country with a strained economy and a destroyed capital city was taking its toll on him, but she was happy that being with her provided him with a much needed respite. He was a good man, and C.C. could only thank the Heavens that she got to call him her husband.

Gently, she began stroking his chest as her eyes took in each and every inch of her husband. He was handsome, that was obvious, but ever since their wedding night (and what they had done every night since) there seemed to be a certain something about him. Something special that she couldn't quite pinpoint – like a glow from within.

It was warm, and it was comforting. It spoke of the feeling of home that he'd provided ever since they'd consummated their marriage.

And speaking of consummation, she couldn't help but notice that certain bits and pieces were already up. C.C. couldn't hold back an impish grin – she might have still been relatively new to the world of marital bliss and the wonders of being with a man, but she'd have lied if the sight of Niles' manhood didn't make her own bits and pieces tingle.

She knew she didn't have to hold back. They were married, trying to conceive and in love – she could take the initiative. She'd done it a couple of times before, and it had always been a pleasant, surprise way of waking her beloved.

He enjoyed finding her there, on top of him, so she didn't even really have to be very quiet. But she still liked to be playful, when she got started – there was an element of fun to it that would be lost, otherwise.

Slowly – stealthily, even – she peeled the covers off them both and, with outstanding precision and in one swift movement, she climbed onto his lap, positioned herself properly and gently sheathed him between her legs, prompting a loud groan to escape her throat.

The noise and the sudden sensation of her slipping around his manhood certainly brought her beloved out of his slumber, that was for sure. It was an unorthodox wake up call, but it definitely got the job done when she needed it to!

With an intake of breath that might've been a yawn mixed with a gasp of unexpected pleasure, he clumsily wiped at his face, before blinking his eyes open and letting them fall on her.

It was a sight he'd grown used to seeing in the mornings; the playful smirk on his wife's face, her warm legs either side of his hips, and his manhood nestled right between. It was certainly more welcome and interesting than a bleary vision of the rest of their room, and the closed door to the corridor...

A mischievous grin creased the corners of his mouth, knowing exactly what she was after.

How he loved the sight of her on top of him in the morning, ready to wake up in the same manner that they'd fallen asleep!

It was...a wonderful surprise, really, finding that she wanted it so often from him! He didn't think they'd gone a day without making love at least three times, when before the wedding, he'd been terrified that she wouldn't want it at all after they'd done it once!

Their wedding night had been nerve-racking for him for that very reason. When the servants had been dressing him, he'd been talking to himself in his head. One half had been telling him to get a grip – he'd done this before, he knew what to do, he knew how to make it good! The other, on the other hand, had been doing the mental equivalent of boring a hole in the floor through pacing, while it worried over what C.C. would think of the sight of him naked, what would she enjoy (if any of it), and how could he make sure it was special for her? As special for her as it would be for him?

If he knew then what he knew now...well, he wouldn't have worried at all. It made him chuckle occasionally, when he was by himself, to think that his love was practically insatiable...!

If they kept going at the pace they were, they could be parents in no time. And that was a wonder all of its own that he couldn't wait for...

"Well, good morning to you, too," he said, slowly lifting his hands up to stroke at the smooth skin of her thighs. "If our current position is anything to go by, I'd say you slept well and feel extremely rested?"

C.C. chuckled in the back of her throat.

"You could say that," she replied, her nails staring to scrape lightly at his chest. "But how could I not sleep so well, after you wore me out so thoroughly...?"

"It's a service I am always glad to provide," he replied, moving his hips a little – he knew it drove her crazy and her muffled moan proved so. "But first, before we get any further, may I request a good morning kiss from my good lady wife?"

C.C., still in that delightful playful mood of hers, leaned down until her chest was flush against her husband's. She then pressed a number of kisses on Niles' smiling features – his cheeks, nose, forehead and, lastly, his lips.

"There," she said, stroking his cheek, "A morning kiss for my lord husband. Now, what is to be my reward for my kindness?"

Niles, knowing what she was after, pretended to think. He "_Hmmd_" and "_Uhmd_", trying hard not to laugh but failing to hide his amusement at their morning games.

"Oh, come on," she protested, grinding her hips to stress her point. "You know what I wa––"

Before she had time to finish her sentence, Niles pressed a kiss to her lips and rolled them over.

This, C.C. thought with a muffled giggle, was the perfect way to start a morning. In the arms of her husband, feeling him moving inside her and moaning in pleasure as he started to build the rhythm he'd worked out she liked.

She broke the kiss and gasped and moaned into his ear as he did, returning only to his lips for the occasional kiss as they went. Her hips moved in time with his, grinding and seeking out greater pleasure wherever it was to be found.

It was beyond any kind of pleasure she'd ever experienced or expected in her life. It was magnificent, and had her dancing on the edge of some distant cloud, high above the sky. It was...

_Nauseating_...?

That didn't seem right...the sudden slight churning in her stomach as Niles' thrusts grew deeper and she felt her pleasure building further. She tried to ignore it – it was probably nothing, and her love, who was so wonderful to her, was moving exactly the way that she liked...

But the more they moved, and the more the pleasure grew and her cries became louder, the less she found it possible to block out the swirling, dizzying sensation in her belly.

The churning was building up, too, with whatever that would bring forth...

It struck her mind and her heart with an equal sense of panic and dread. Something wasn't right – really wasn't right!

And it reached a point in her mind when she understood that nothing could stop it.

She couldn't go on anymore. It would be disastrous if she tried! She could feel it coming up her throat, burning as if warning her all the way, and there would be nowhere for it to go but out!

She had to stop this whole thing right now, before the nausea was released in the worst possible way!

"Niles...!" she cried out, between gasps that held as much liquid back as they took in air. "Niles, stop!"

The word caught onto Niles' senses immediately, because it was the word he dreaded more than any other when they were like this.

He ceased his movements just as quickly, panicking and wondering if he should also move away from her entirely. Would he be able to see what had happened to make her cry "stop" if he did? Would he – and this was, perhaps, in some ways worse – see nothing?

Would he be able to tell why she'd asked him to stop?

Oh, God – it had finally happened, hadn't it?! He'd hurt her, without even realising! He'd thought that her face had looked a little peculiar just a moment ago, but he'd put that down to a trick of the light! He should've known it was because she was trying not to have to tell him anything!

It must've been so bad, she'd felt she had no choice, in the end!

Niles felt his heart start to break, and a sense of ever-increasing panic that threatened to spiral out of control. What was he going to do?! How long had she been enduring him for?! Was there anything at all he could do to even make it better?!

"C.C., my love! I'm sorry," he cried out, pulling back to look at her all over, still panicking but unsure of what to do about it. "What's the matter? What did I do?! Tell me what's wrong!"

C.C. didn't answer him. At least, with not any verbal communication known to man. All she could do was quickly roll to the side from underneath him and loudly vomit over the side of the bed.

Niles nearly leapt back in surprise, yelping as it happened. That wasn't a normal sign of...of anything related to being in bed! He'd never experienced that before, and nobody had ever warned him about it! It...it couldn't have been what they were doing, could it? They'd been in bed plenty of times before and that had never happened so much as once!

What did it mean if that wasn't the reason, though?! Was she sick?! She'd seemed fine only minutes ago! Was it something fast-acting?! Was it something she'd eaten?! He didn't know – his mind was becoming a mess just as fast as the edge of the sheets and the floor next to the bed were.

It would've been a relief to know that he hadn't hurt her, if she weren't clearly so unwell!

"C.C.!" he cried, getting to his knees and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Darling, are you alright?!"

Her only answer was to throw up even more. It didn't seem to care that her stomach hurt, or that nothing else presented sign of illness. She just needed to be sick, until there was nothing left. She could hear her husband trying to shush her and she could feel his hand rubbing her back.

She appreciated his attempt at comfort, but it wasn't helping, entirely. Apart from feeling unwell, she was incredibly mad at herself for having ruined what up until then had been a wonderful morning! Not to mention the humiliation of having soiled perfectly good sheets, which her servants would have to change again. She should have been able to hold it in until there was a more suitable place for her to retch!

It was awful, and the worst part was that there was nothing she could do to stop it.

When she finally finished dry-heaving, Niles helped her lie back down and quickly poured her a glass of water from the carafe that their servants had left on his nightstand the night before – it was more than obvious that she needed to lie down for a while.

"Bear with me for a second, love," Niles said, already getting to his feet (but not before having dropped a kiss on her sweaty forehead) "I'll get dressed and call for the servants to come clean this up, alright?"

If it weren't for the fact that her head was swimming to the point where she'd have been swaying violently if she'd been upright, C.C. would've felt more able to give him a coherent answer.

As things currently were, all she felt able to say was "Uh...al...alright..."

It was as her husband turned and went to get off the bed that she noticed an important detail (given to her by way of a small but chilly breeze) they'd both forgotten to address in their panic – she needed to get dressed before the servants arrived, as well!

The last thing she wanted to be showing off to the maids was anything that they didn't normally see in the daytime! There was enough gossip within all the royal households as it was; she didn't want to be the next subject of any of it, for any part of her body whatsoever!

She'd been the subject of enough rumours already...

That was why she rasped as loudly as she could after her husband, before he could start getting dressed.

"Oh! Niles! My nightgown!"

It took him a moment to understand what she was talking about, owing to the panic he'd been feeling previously and the determination he'd replaced it with once he'd settled on a plan, but once Niles realised that his wife was very much still in the nude and was in no current fit state to get dressed by herself, he jumped at once.

He couldn't leave her like that! The servants weren't to see such a thing – his wife's body was precious and private; hers alone, and given to him to love and to look at by her consent. Anybody else gawking in such a fashion would be intruding!

"Oh!" he exclaimed, searching around until he'd spotted where he'd tossed the garment the night before – another corner of the room. "Here it is...!"

He swiftly went and picked it up from the floor where it had landed in a pile, and brought it back to C.C. before he even so much as thought about dealing with his own clothes.

He helped her to dress before getting himself ready, and he then called for two of the maids to come and wash the floor and replace the bedding.

He knew it would take a while for C.C. to do it by herself, in her current state, and he didn't want her getting cold in the meantime. He was more than willing to put everything on hold to help her feel well where he could, even if it meant delaying putting on his own clothes.

He hoped, by the time the maids had arrived to do their cleaning, that she was feeling warmer and starting on her way to feeling well again. The maids didn't take long to mop the floors, or to switch out the sheets that had been hit, and once they were dismissed, he wrapped the new, clean sheets tightly around himself and his wife to help the process along.

But he knew that he still had to give her time, and he was more than happy to be able to hold her and gently whisper whenever she softly moaned in her discomfort. He wanted his presence – hoped and prayed that it would – be soothing, healing, and to help her on the road to recovery.

But as the days turned slowly into weeks and C.C. still showed no signs of getting better from her mystery illness (he'd gathered it was an illness by now; what else could last so long in a human body?!), Niles' panic became unshakeable in his heart and had actually begun to spread. It was getting too hard for him to even go to court, even if he had to – how could he? His wife wasn't well; he'd be no kind of husband at all if he left her by herself! She needed him more than those old fools did!

They didn't change. The symptoms stayed exactly the same, no matter what they did or how much she rested. And they only ever happened in the morning – the rest of the day, she was completely fine! What did that mean?! What kind of illness left a person bedridden for half a day and then completely untouched for the rest of it?!

It was starting to keep him up at night with the wondering, the dreading, the growing fear. Was this something that was even curable?! What if it was something completely new to the human experience?!

Those last two questions played on his mind a lot, but he couldn't get rid of them. Not while his beloved wasn't in any better a state than she had been before, with no telling whether or not it would wear off, or if it would get worse...

That's why he eventually (and very much against his better judgement) decided to have a doctor check on C.C.. Dr Potts was his first option – the man was the finest physician in England, and probably one of the best in Europe, but there was still the worry of Niles not knowing whether or not he was trustworthy.

Their plan had been working wonderfully for the past month and a half to have one man ruin everything because he couldn't hold his tongue. Still, they didn't really have many options – Niles wasn't willing to have C.C. seen by just anyone, and the only physician the court had was Dr Potts.

There wasn't any other choice – Potts had to be summoned.

The doctor arrived mere hours after the prince had requested for his presence. He hadn't been allowed to bring any of his assistants with him nor had he been told what ailment he was supposed to alleviate, something which he found both bemusing and worrying. What could possibly be happening to the prince to warrant such secrecy on his part?!

Potts confusion only grew the moment he was welcomed into the lodge by Prince Niles himself. The man, although dishevelled and clearly in a state of agitation, looked completely healthy!

"You have come in good time, Your Grace," Niles said, shaking the physician's hand. "Now, we mustn't lose time – come with me to my office. We need to discuss something before you do your duty."

That only confused Potts all the more, if he was honest. A discussion? What for? It wasn't standard practice for any kind of rules to be set or agreements to be made, before he got on with curing whatever had called him out to the location of his patient!

Come to think of it, he hadn't even been told who his patient even was! Shouldn't he at least have an idea of what he was doing in mind, before he sat down to have a meeting about what was to happen to them?

He wanted to ask all of those questions and many more, really, but he was also very conscious of who he was speaking with, and the fact that the prince had said that there was no time to lose.

The man clearly sounded agitated, too, so it had to be important. It wasn't often just any simple, small case that called him to see Prince Niles – he usually only demanded when he had a real reason to see the doctor, so maybe he should give him the benefit of the doubt over this secrecy...?

Taking that chance, he nodded and followed the prince to his study.

"Close the door behind you, if you will," Niles ordered as soon as they were there, pulling out a chair for the doctor before taking a seat behind his desk. "What we are about to discuss must not reach the ears of anybody else."

Potts blinked, but did as he was told.

"Of course, Your Royal Highness," he said, closing the door firmly before coming to take the proffered seat. "How am I to be of assistance? Because, if I might speak slightly out of turn, this all seems...rather unorthodox, compared to my usual methods of working."

"I am well aware, Your Grace, and for that I apologise," said the prince. "But I am afraid secrecy is a necessity, and before I reveal anything to you I need you to swear that you shall not speak of what you will see tonight, to anyone, until told otherwise."

He then leaned in more, a serious – if slightly dark – look on his face.

"But I'm warning you now, too: if you agree to hear what I'm about to say, but then decide that the secret is yours to spread, I shall have to find some...more than unpleasant way of ensuring that you cannot spread it any further. And I know you are a good man, so I'd hate to do that."

Again, Potts felt at a loss and more than a little worried. He was not one to deny the Prince of Wales, but what secret was he going to be entrusted with? Was it bad? Why couldn't anyone else know, under pain of...well, pain, and most likely death? Would he be in trouble, if he partook in anything that Prince Niles asked him to?

Would the punishment for being found out by the king be worse than what the prince would do, if he was betrayed?

He supposed the only way of finding out was to agree to the prince's terms, even if his gut was telling him to walk away. He only hoped he wouldn't have to commit treason or anything of the sort – God knows he'd worked too hard to be known as a competent and respectable physician, to then have everything taken away when he was at the peak of his career!

"Of course, sir, you have my word that I shall not speak of this to anyone, unless His Royal Highness says otherwise," Potts eventually said, hands fidgeting with the handles of his portmanteau, where he carried his medical equipment.

Niles took in a deep breath. This would be the first time he'd told anybody outside the house, his closest friends and immediate family – he wasn't including his father in that small number – that he and C.C. had gotten married.

But he knew that he could trust Potts. The man was as kind as he was brilliant, and he had been good them before. He just had to go ahead and say what he wanted to.

He nodded at the doctor's words, "Alright, good...good..."

He nearly kicked himself for letting his speech trail off. Perhaps he was holding back because he was afraid of what the problem could be? But this was the only man in England who could be sure to do anything about it – he couldn't fail his beloved by not telling him what was going on!

That sudden thought bursting into his head forced at least a few of the words out.

"I...I married C.C.. Lady Babcock, I mean. Here, in the lodge's chapel. We did it in private to make sure my father couldn't find out; we knew he would try to stop it if he did. But we have been carrying out a plan..."

He went on for what he was sure had to have been some time, detailing the entire plan. The secret engagement and all its intricacies, the elopement and the carefully-planned wedding, their plan to produce an heir that would see their marriage safe from any harm...

The last one felt like it was slipping through his fingers even as he spoke, but he kept on explaining. It was all he could do, if he was to convince the doctor to help.

Potts had to understand his reasonings, didn't he? They both knew his father and what he was like; they knew he wouldn't like it at all if he knew what was going on, and could try to do something to separate them for good.

Niles simply wasn't going to let that happen, no matter what it took.

He couldn't...

He felt in desperate need of a drink by the time he was done, as well as air. It was highly possible he'd expelled it all from his lungs but had been so busy explaining, that he hadn't thought about taking any more in!

He also had to blink at the way Dr Potts' face lit up at his confession, releasing his portmanteau in order to clasp his hands together in delight, a sparkle in his eyes like the prince had never seen before.

"My good Prince! That is...well, alongside the understandable need for discretion, the most marvellous, celebratory news!" he cried.

Niles felt himself stagger. Since when had Potts considered the thought of him and C.C. together to be marvellous? The man nearly been dismissed over the fact that he'd mistaken C.C. for a whore, when they'd first needed his help!

"You truly think so?" the prince asked, not quite believing what he was hearing.

His organs nearly dropped out of his body in shock and surprise when the doctor gave his own explanation.

"Of course! I had...well, I had first seen it the first time you called me to tend to...Her Royal Highness, while she was unwell! I saw it in your care, and the way you were with her. The way you looked at and spoke to her. You respected her, more than anybody else in that room, and you did not waver in defending her against my shameful accusations. I doubt I shall ever be able to apologise enough for that incident."

Niles could only gape. He'd imagined the doctor to have been completely ignorant about his feelings towards C.C. at that time – granted, he might have been about to propose, but he had been certain that his behaviour hadn't changed! He'd still been his usual self, he'd just also happened to realise he was in love with C.C.!

His love had been kept firmly under wraps, hadn't it? Even his own mind wanted to roll its eyes at that hope. The answer was "clearly not", if Potts had spotted it and realised what was happening!

He wanted to ask if it had really been so obvious, and if so, to how many people, but Potts continued before he could.

"And I do mean it, when I say that I completely understand the discretion. I do, of course, still wonder why I was brought here, when a letter might've sufficed, but–"

"My wife has been...unwell, Doctor!" the prince finished before Potts could get too caught up in another celebratory mood that the prince just wasn't feeling. He'd realised they were wasting time and needed to focus. "Every day, for weeks now! She will wake up, only to vomit and remain nauseous for hours, and then as suddenly as it came, it will disappear again!"

Like a galloping horse suddenly confronted with a trench full of water, Potts felt his mind skid to a halt. It had to put aside the joyous news it had just been told, and get to work.

From what he'd already been told, he had a suspicion. A good one – it didn't take a doctor to work out at least part of what had just been described!

But he needed to probe deeper to be sure.

And it might help the panicking prince come round to the same conclusion he was already leaning towards.

"Every day?" he asked, taking mental notes as he went.

Niles practically leapt out of his chair and started to pace, feeling miserable, "As regular as the sun rises and sets! No matter what anybody does, we can't prevent it! She will vomit, no matter what she eats, and will remain nauseous until it goes for the day..."

He couldn't believe he was having to say any of this! He'd only just married the love of his life and now he was desperately trying to save her from some unknown disease!

How could his luck be so poor, that the woman who had made him a better man could be struck down before their life had even begun?!

If he'd looked up, he would've seen the actively bright, thoughtful look on Potts' face as he continued his questions.

"And, um...how long have you been married, sir?"

It hurt Niles to even have to say, the number seemed so short when the years he'd imagined had stretched into the far future and grand old age for the both of them.

"A little over a month – perhaps a month and a half?"

He nearly tripped on nothing in his pacing when Potts asked his next question.

"Alright then – tell me, sir, has your wife had her menses in all this time? And have you been having regular intercourse?"

Niles looked up to glare at the doctor. Was that really an appropriate question at a time when his wife was so ill?! They could be focusing on that, instead of their activities in the bedroom!

"No, she hasn't had her blood, yet. And we've been having more than regular intercourse, not that I see what that has to do with anything!"

He was taken aback when Potts let out a bark of laughter at that.

"Oh, my dear lord! Oh...forgive my disrespect, but I am not certain how you could not see what is becoming obvious here!"

Niles turned his whole body to face him, glare of incensed rage softening to a hard look of confusion. Obvious? What did he mean by that? What was becoming "obvious"?! Was there something about C.C. that he was missing? But how could that be the case, when he knew his wife like the back of his own hand? Why was the doctor laughing at him like he was some sort of court jester, playing a fool completely on purpose?

"Would you care to explain to me just what is so amusing, Doctor?" he was on the brink of snarling.

Potts looked back up at him like a man who held all the right playing cards.

"Nothing, sir," he said, practically smirking. "I am always sent into a joyous mood when I hear that a patient of mine is with child."

The last two words hit Niles with the force of a rockslide or an avalanche.

With...with _child_...?!

He nearly sank to his knees, the feeling was so overwhelming. Already?! Could...could it really be true?! Could he have heard rightly?! Could his wife already be carrying a long hoped-for little one; the one that would legitimise their marriage beyond doubt? The future heir to the throne, whether his father liked it or not? The beginnings of their family?

It...it was becoming more and more clear in his mind. Even as he re-thought everything over in his head, he was starting to wonder how he had missed some of the most obvious signs! How hadn't it occurred to him that the amount of lovemaking they had been doing over the course of a whole month and a half could be behind her mystery illness?!

They were going to have baby...a little boy or girl that they could love and call their own! Not an illness that threatened to take her away, just a little bundle of love and joy that would only bring them closer together...!

The relief flooding his heart made him want to weep, but he held it together for the doctor as he collapsed back into his chair.

"With...with child...! My wife...my wife is having a baby...!"

"I believe so, sir, yes," said the doctor, getting to his feet – he still needed to check on his new (and arguably most important) patient. "I still need to examine Her Royal Highness and we do need to wait until the quickening of the child to be completely certain, but I believe that a pregnancy is the most likely cause of your lady wife's ailment, otherwise known as morning sickness."

Niles felt like punching himself – how on Earth hadn't he thought about it?! His mother had told them that nausea and vomiting were two of the tell-tale signs of pregnancy, and yet in all this time he hadn't even considered it! She'd also told them about the quickening of the child – meaning the moment when the child started moving in the mother's womb – but they'd still have to wait for a few more weeks until that happened.

But, in any case, the doctor was right – he did need to check on his poor wife. She hadn't been able to get out of bed that day due to her nausea, but he was certain she'd be up to being seen to by a professional. And not just any professional; if everything worked according to plan, Dr Potts would treat her during her pregnancy and attend to her during her delivery.

Niles couldn't wait until the moment to meet their baby arrived, but there was still too much to do before that happened. The most pressing issue being having C.C. checked by Dr Potts.

"Of course, morning sickness," he repeated somewhat lamely as he got to his feet. "I should have seen it before, shouldn't I?"

"Do not blame yourself, sir. Plenty of first-time parents miss the first signs. But now that we know what we are dealing with, and provided that Her Royal Highness keeps to my indications, Their Royal Highnesses will soon be blessed with a God-given heir."

A God-given heir. That was certainly one way of describing the little miracle that Niles was already imagining in his head! A golden-haired cherub, with the rosiest cheeks and brightest blue eyes he had ever seen, wriggling chubby legs and waving the tiniest set of hands, complete with tiny fingers perfect for grasping...

He was so busy daydreaming about everything from the nursery they'd have to build, to supplying the child's first pony from the Royal Stables, that he didn't hear Potts clearing his throat to get his attention.

By the time a horse was needed, the child would've been born and there would no longer be any qualms (that his father wouldn't have to just put up and shut up about, anyway). The Gentleman of the Horse would be obliged to provide a starting horse for his future king or queen, no matter what his current monarch thought about them...!

The throat clearing came a bit louder the next time and it actually made him start, snapping him back to the present moment.

"Hm?" he blinked in the direction of the doctor.

"Your Royal Highness, we had...better be pressing on, had we not?" Potts asked. "Your lady wife will be waiting."

Not for the first time in that conversation, Niles could have hurt himself in some fashion. Of course, they had to be moving! He couldn't sit there thinking about the future, when his present and his future was lying in bed in another room, completely unaware of just how wonderful she was and how much joy she was carrying inside her!

He leapt up from his seat. There wasn't a moment to lose – and for all the good, right reasons, this time!

"You are more than quite right, Doctor!" he hurried towards the door. "Come with me – I shall bring you to your patient right away!"

Potts' patient. His beloved wife. The mother of his child...only two of those sounded beautiful in his head, but he accepted the temporary one as well. He'd have to, if he was going to see to it that his family got the best medical treatment in the entire country!

"Just one thing, Your Royal Highness," the doctor said as they rushed through the lodge's corridors towards C.C.'s room, "Do not let Her Royal Highness know what we suspect until I have asked further questions. I would like to examine her first, before telling your good lady wife the news."

Niles sighed – part of him wished to burst through their bedroom doors and immediately announce the wonderful news to his wife, but if the Doctor wanted to be sure, then who was he to argue? He'd let Potts do his job, and wait patiently until he and C.C. could share in on the blissful news.

"Fair enough," conceded the Prince. "I shall remain silent."

Potts seemed satisfied by his answer, and soon enough the two men had made their way and crossed the doors to the marital bedroom. Upon entering, they spotted C.C. lying in bed, looking miserable and hugging a small bucket that had been sitting at the side of her until a few moments ago. She didn't smile at them upon noticing their arrival, probably because she was so unwell, but neither doctor nor prince would blame her for that.

"Your Royal Highness," Dr Potts said, bowing to the new Princess of Wales. "I don't know if my lady remembers me but I am–"

"Of course I do, Your Grace," she said, trying to sit up and managing it only with some help from her husband, who'd rushed to her side the moment they'd walked in. "And I am grateful you have agreed to help us."

"It's an honour and a pleasure, Your Royal Highness," Potts replied. "Now, if Your Royal Highness doesn't mind, I shall commence my examination."

C.C. had no arguments against it so, after Potts had readied his medical equipment, the exam was underway. He started with a number of necessary questions, which Potts secretly felt he already had the answer to. But, as the saying goes, better be safe than sorry!

"Your Royal Highness, how long have you been unwell? What symptoms have you been experiencing?" Potts asked.

C.C. bit the inside of her lip nervously, wondering about all the things she had felt recently and what they could mean, before plucking up the courage to start telling.

"Well, I um...I haven't been feeling well for a few weeks," she explained, "But it's never been too bad! I-I mean, it's always happened around the same time. In the morning, and it's always gone by midday..."

But that wasn't the only thing she'd been feeling. She just had to take a deep, calming breath before she continued.

"I've also...hated certain smells. Which is odd, because they're usually the smells of things that I absolutely love! And I've been feeling more tired and lethargic. There's been bloating as well, and some, um..." she considered her present company, hesitating and starting to turn an odd shade of pink, before one word tumbled out of her mouth in a gentle mumble, her eyes directed away from both the doctor and her husband. "S-soreness."

"Soreness, my lady?" the doctor repeated, clearly wanting to make sure he was getting everything noted correctly.

C.C. nodded, looking every inch a woman who wished that the ground would just swallow her whole.

But it wasn't enough for Potts, "Soreness where, if I may ask?"

Clearly having been abandoned by any higher power that could make the wish of ending her shame come true, C.C. shakily lifted a hand to point at the...affected area.

"In...in my breasts..."

Part of her suspected that, perhaps, this was all a rather unpleasant prelude to her delayed period; she always felt a little unwell on the days before, so this could be just that. She'd always been incredibly regular, to the point of knowing the exact date she'd get it. She was late by a worrying number of weeks (something which she told the doctor) now, so she didn't really know what to think.

"Your Royal Highness, might I be allowed to feel your abdomen?"

Even after so many years, it still made Potts slightly uneasy to have to ask something so personal of a member of the royal family, especially the Princess of Wales! But he knew he had to, and that his discomfort came from years of serving one monarch, with one..._particular_ personality.

Had King Joseph been there instead of Prince Niles and had it been Queen Marie in bed instead of Her Royal Highness, he would've demanded that any doctor present practically beg his express permission before doing anything. And that would go double if it involved being...down there. But they needed Joseph's say so even for something as simple as this. And even once they had it, there was a chance he would explode at them, perhaps to intimidate them into submission so they'd "know not to get any ideas" (what "ideas", Potts couldn't say), before remaining in a foul mood throughout the whole process.

But Prince Niles remained silent, and only gave his wife a look that spoke of tenderness. Potts could guess that he was encouraging her to do what was best for her, but leaving it as her decision at the same time.

It warmed the doctor greatly, to see them so...joined, in heart and mind as well as in marriage.

And after C.C. had thought about it, she nodded, "Alright..."

Very gently and with the greatest amount of respect and discretion that he could muster (whilst letting Prince Niles hold his wife), Potts began to feel her stomach, focusing on the lower abdomen.

"Hm..." the doctor frowned in his attempt, and pressed on her stomach again.

And that, after a few more presses to truly be sure, a hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"I believe I know what ails you, Madam," he announced to the room, letting his smile come forth. "I think you are with child."

C.C. thought the floor must have shaken beneath her when he said that. It had thrown her completely – struck her mind like a bolt of lightning, blinding her to everything else in her mind and making her bolt upright (and regret that because it made her dizzy) in bed.

With...with _child_! He'd said it – he'd really said it, and neither one of them had made it up! Of course, she knew she'd never make up anything so wonderful, but it's possible that someone out there would do such a thing! And it meant that her symptoms all had a source!

The source being...being the little one had was now making its home in her belly. It would only be a short stay, but it was going to lead to a much bigger, brighter future.

A future full of luxury, and comfort and love, with their family – her as Mama, and her husband as Papa...

And as she let her eyes spring to him, a tearful smile starting to appear on her face, it appeared as though Niles was trying not to break down in tears as well.

It made a single chuckle escape C.C.'s throat, as she moved away from the doctor to throw herself into her husband's waiting arms, crying aloud in joy (and wordlessly, just as he was), and letting the tears come out as soon as her face hid in his shoulder.

A baby...their plan had worked...they really were going to have a baby! She couldn't believe it!

Well, she supposed part of her could, given how often they'd been doing what it took to make a baby, but still! It was one thing to go through the motions, it was entirely something else to know it had worked!

To know they'd have a little prince or princess to call their own...it was worth more than anything she'd ever thought she'd owned, either as a lady, a maid, or a princess! She was getting to start a family – a real, legitimate family – with the man that she loved, and nobody could stop them!

That made her feel safe. As warm, happy and comfortable as being in her husband's arms, right then and there. Just as they would stay, as they went through all the walks of life together. Only now, it wasn't a pathway for two. They had their child's hands to hold, and would make extra room for any siblings that followed further on down the line. A family, connected and facing everything together, no matter what that was.

And it was all thanks to the man she was trying hard not to get too many tears on!

"Thank you," she eventually sniffed, her voice coming out a whimper. "I just...thank you so much...!"

Niles pulled away a little to look at her, cocking his head to one side. What on Earth did she have to thank him for? He had played a minor – if incredible to experience – role in the miracle that had taken place in her womb! She was the one who had a life growing inside her right at that moment, and would carry it for a length of time he couldn't even begin to comprehend! She'd be the one to nurture it and let it grow, sharing everything she had, until that little one was ready to be born and have a life all of their own...

He should be the one thanking her, not the other way around!

"Love...!" he half-cried, half-laughed through tears he didn't want Potts to see. "What are you thanking me for...?! I am not the one who is supplying a miracle to this world; that person, who deserves the thanks and praise and lauds and honours, is you!"

"Indeed, Your Royal Highness," Potts said, happy for the couple but at the same time knowing he had to try and move things along – the checkup might have been over, but he still needed to give his recommendations. The Princess of Wales was in a delicate state as it was, and she'd remain in it until the baby had arrived. "Housing and nurturing a new life is nothing short of a miracle, but in order to protect said miracle, you will have to take good care of yourself…"

"Of course, Your Grace," C.C. replied, "We will do anything to keep our child safe."

The doctor took that as his cue to go over each and every piece of advice he possessed – from the Princess of Wales needing to keep bedrest, to her having to be fed rich foods and plenty of fluids.

"I'm certain that, as long as Their Royal Highnesses keep to my recommendations, Her Royal Highness shall have a happy and safe pregnancy," he finished.

A happy and safe pregnancy sounded like the miracle the couple both wanted. It would mean the end of their troubles – Joseph would have no say in their marriage once it was over, and C.C. had delivered a legitimate heir. He'd have to leave them to their happy life together, no matter how much he didn't like it.

And they'd have the baby that would start their family. Their eldest, no doubt soon to be followed by many more! They certainly would have the largest royal house in Europe by the time they were done, if they kept going at the pace they had been before now!

"Well, I intend to see that she has nothing less," Niles gripped C.C.'s hand. "I'll wait on her hand and foot myself, if that's what it takes."

C.C. smiled at him adoringly, feeling a blush come over her face. "You don't have to do that, lover – you spoil me enough as it is!"

Niles shook his head, "For you, my dear, no treatment is too good. You deserve nothing but the best, and our new little one needs it. As such, I am more than happy to be your personal servant."

C.C. thought she liked the sound of that, but she wasn't about to make that kind of inappropriate comment in front of the doctor. The man may have seen many things in his life, but he didn't have to hear everything!

So, she kept it clean and simply squeezed his hand in appreciation, before turning back to Potts.

"Thank you, Doctor. You have no idea how grateful we are for your help...!"

"Again, it's an honour and a pleasure, Your Royal Highness. I shall keep track of your pregnancy from now onwards, and will visit you every few weeks, to ensure everything is progressing according to plan," Potts said, bowing to the Princess of Wales. He then gave her and her husband a warm smile – one that spoke volumes of what he thought and how he felt about them and their plan. "No one shall hear about this pregnancy from me, that I can swear, Your Royal Highnesses."

"We appreciate that, Your Grace," Niles replied. "And suffice to say you will be greatly rewarded for your services. Now, if you'll accompany me back to my study, I shall take care of your payment."

"But, my Lord, I have already been paid! I receive an annual stipend from the Cro––"

"And now you'll get a little extra," the prince cut him off mid-sentence. "It's only fair – you are doing us a great favour."

"With all due respect, my lord, but I cannot bring myself to accept any form of payment from yourself or Her Royal Highness," Potts said, warmed by the prince's generosity. "I am more than grateful, that goes without saying, but I can't and won't accept any extra payment. This is my duty as a physician, my lord, I don't deserve any special recognition for doing what is correct."

Niles still wanted to argue back that Potts deserved some form of recognition and reward (even if it was silent recognition and reward) for his services. But he knew that the man just simply wouldn't have it – he was honourable, and a good man.

He did his duty out of genuine care, not for the promise of rewards or greatness.

That was how the prince knew; they'd truly gotten the best possible doctor to take care of both C.C. and their baby. They couldn't be in safer, more responsible hands, and Niles couldn't feel any more relieved or happier for it.

Of course, he still planned on rewarding Potts somehow. But he figured that he'd have to wait – perhaps even until he had been crowned king! It would look more natural then – no one could question why the king might suddenly choose to increase the Royal Physician's stipend, or give him a new stately home. It wouldn't be their place, and besides, anybody who'd ever met the man knew that he deserved such a fine offering. He'd earned it.

But that was for a long time in the future, once their little one had been safely born and his father had had no choice but to accept the legitimacy of both his grandchild and his son's marriage. It was a bright future, full of promise and expectation. He couldn't wait for it to arrive, even if it would still take some time.

It was down to their good fortune that they had a good friend to help them through it.

So, smiling briefly at C.C. (who could only beam back at him) and accepting the short term defeat, he stuck out a hand for the doctor to shake instead.

"You are truly too good for this world, Doctor," he said. "My wife and I will not forget what you are doing for us."

"You flatter me, sir. But now, I must be on my way – I will only trouble Their Royal Highnesses by asking for a ride back to the city."

Niles immediately agreed to the doctor's request – it was the least they could do, after all the help that he'd already given and would continue to give them. He left in the finest carriage Niles possessed and with the eternal thanks of both the Prince and Princess of Wales.

After all, the bearer of the most wonderful news Niles and C.C. had ever heard, deserved nothing but praise.

The future was bright, and they simply couldn't wait.


	23. Chapter 23

_**Chapter 22**_

Ruth only had one thing in particular on her mind; getting to the bottom of the underhanded activities she could feel practically permeating the walls of the palace. She didn't even care that no one else seemed to think anything was wrong – all those idiots, both upstairs and down, might have just been going about their daily routines, but she wasn't about to just let it pass.

Especially not when it very obviously involved that bastard of a prince (who hadn't so much as looked at her nicely in months) and the Babcock slut.

She hadn't thought like this at first. It had taken some careful thinking. Before, when she'd first heard that the prince had finally taken the girl and bagged his latest prize, the only thing she could think about was the burning rage and envy of having been displaced as the prince's favourite toy to play with.

And it had been quickly made obvious that she'd been displaced. _Replaced_, quite frankly – she hadn't once been called for since the new little whore had opened her legs!

It would have bothered Ruth a lot less, had the slut not been allowed to practically live in the prince's chambers, including sleeping in them overnight. That was a privilege Ruth herself had never once been allowed. Neither had she been allowed to stop working at her day job, while the Babcock slut had apparently not been allowed to lift so much as a single fucking finger to point at a book on a shelf!

The other maids had giggled about it constantly, irritating Ruth no-end. Every day when she'd come into the kitchens, she'd had to overhear to the latest gossip and hear them all list off the newest gifts and trinkets the prince had showered on his slut; jewellery of all kinds, fine new dresses, a whole library of books...

The whore had gotten all the attention, but Ruth couldn't understand why for the life of her. What did the Babcock slut have that she didn't? Precious little, probably; the girl might've opened her legs a couple of times by then, but she was still basically a virgin. She wouldn't know her way around a man. She'd be no fun, and everybody knew that the prince was only ever in it for fun. Why would he want to waste his time when he wouldn't be getting that?

That question – along with the more comforting thought that Prince Niles would come running back when he realised his mistake – had run through her head for several days.

Until the new rumours had cropped up, that was.

The rumours had seemed like her dearest wish and dream had come true at first; the little whore hadn't been seen around the palace in days. Not eating at their table, around the corridors of the palace, or even coming or going from her new "workshop". All the others had started to suggest that Prince Niles had grown bored and dropped her, already on the hunt for his next piece of fresh meat.

But that hadn't sat well with Ruth. Being the prince's long-time favourite whore (as well as the best he'd ever have), she had been around long enough to see plenty of other, inferior sluts come and go. Prince Niles always got bored of them eventually, but he had never once demanded that they leave the palace when he was finished with them. He didn't care what they did, when they weren't on his cock. As long as they didn't bother him over things like feelings or getting another go, they weren't even worth acknowledging.

Besides, he had been spending so much time at his lodge (staying away nearly every night), Ruth had hardly thought he was around long enough to eye up any of the new maids. Even if some of them were clearly virgins and ripe for picking, just before they matured past their prime. And even if he had seen them, for some reason he seemed too caught up in his own happiness to even make so much as a casual, sexually-filled remark.

None of it had seemed to add up; the Babcock girl hadn't been around for months, ever since Prince Niles had started sleeping at his lodge practically every night, really. He hadn't taken a single maid from any part of the palace, or any visiting lady, during that time either. And to top it all, he'd still had a smile plastered on his face every day as though he were being sucked off by a thousand beautiful women every night!

She had supposed the slut could be hiding out on the prince's instruction at Amberley and doing just that, but she couldn't put her finger on why he'd bother moving her there. It wasn't as though His Royal Highness was ashamed of his carefree ways; he'd never had a problem carrying on with any amount of sluts in public – especially not when King Joseph had left him in charge.

Something wasn't right. And the prince and that little bitch were both right at the heart of whatever was going on. They had to be, and it was up to Ruth to find out what they were doing.

The only way to do that, she'd concluded, was to follow the prince, wherever he went, until he slipped up and she overheard exactly what was going on and whet he was doing with the little cow!

And that currently had her sneaking around every corner after him, staying just out of sight and silent enough to not be noticed.

He appeared to be on his way to his mother's chambers. He was more cheerful than ever, too; practically gambolling like a lamb in a pasture and humming a tune as he went...

Still, despite the sickening display of unexplained happiness coming from the prince, the corners of Ruth's mouth curved into a smirk – well, wasn't she a lucky one? There happened to be many a servant's corridor in the Queen's room, all of them perfect for eavesdropping without being seen or heard! Lucky that she knew them all, right?

Making sure not to be seen, Ruth dashed to the nearest entrance to the hidden servant's corridor and slipped inside. She had no trouble navigating it, and soon enough she was located just behind the little door that led into the queen's private tea room. She could already hear the voices of both mother and son exchanging pleasantries as they settled down to have tea.

As quiet as a mouse, Ruth unfastened the small latch on the top-left cornet and opened it just enough to be able to both hear and see what was going on inside through the crack in the door. It was the perfect vantage point – she had a clear view of the queen (who had her back turned to Ruth) and her bastard of a son, who was currently pouring two cups of tea, one for him and one for Marie. There weren't any servants in sight, either, meaning that they'd probably been sent away, which again suggested to Ruth that there was something going on the prince didn't want reaching unwanted ears.

Ha. Tough luck for him!

"_Two sugars and a splash of milk, Maman_," Niles said in perfect French.

"_Merci, mon fils_," replied the Queen, readily accepting the cup offered by her son.

Well, if Ruth had had any doubt about them being about to discuss a secret, the usage of French would have just obliterated it. Good thing that she actually knew French! Not many people knew it, but her father had been a French merchant. He'd stayed around long enough for her to learn how to speak the language before he'd upped and left for France when she'd turned six. Ruth hadn't seen him ever since.

Good riddance, if someone asked her. She didn't need some deadbeat arsehole who'd left her and her mother (alongside five other siblings) practically on the street. He could be dead for all she cared.

"_How are things at the lodge, son?" _Marie asked, _"Is C.C. feeling better?"_

Ruth had to cover her mouth not to cry out, either in triumph or shock.

So, the bitch really was at the lodge! But why was she there? What had changed that Prince Niles now needed her out there, instead of within easy reach at the palace?

Her mind immediately went to blame the slut; it made more sense than anything other explanation. Leave it to Babcock to use her non-existent charm on the prince, so he would allow her to live it up there! Her being quite obviously sick was poetic justice, in Ruth's mind. She could only hope it would last. Or prove fatal. And since when did the queen like the little slut? Hadn't she banished her from her fold for having proven to be just like the rest of the women her son had had over the years?

"_Not exactly, Maman, but you shouldn't worry,_" said the prince, "_As a matter of fact, we now know what's causing her nausea_."

"_You do?_"

"_Indeed we do_," Niles replied, his stupid smile growing to extents Ruth hadn't thought possible. "_Maman, my wife and I are expecting!_"

The entire palace could've collapsed around Ruth then, crushing everyone inside and cementing its own reputation as yet another awful disaster that had plagued London in recent years. But she wouldn't have noticed so much as the dust starting to fall on her head as the brickwork gave out.

He'd..._married_ the little bitch?!

Ruth had to steady herself against the wall. She couldn't believe it was true, even with the evidence burning holes in her eyes and ringing in her ears! She'd seen and heard him say it, with no hesitation! The bastard had passed her over, and he'd made the change permanent!

It felt like a slap in the face to admit it, but what else could she do?! At least it proved her right, which was all she could salvage from the seething hatred she was now currently experiencing. This was why the bitch had been getting all that special treatment – no longer being allowed to work, being given all the gifts and attention in the entire world, as well as permission to sleep in his bed at night!

She hadn't been just another mistress to him; she'd been his _fiancée_!

It all made sense now, but even thinking the word mounted her rage to an even greater height, until she'd soon ascended to her own plane of burning fury, storming through uncharted lands where only hatred could be found and she was transported further away from every other mortal being every time the words echoed in her head.

_Wife...expecting...wife...!_

The word was almost enough to make her punch or kick a hole through the door.

She could scream it out how incensed she was, even hearing it. He'd married that undeserving cow! And made her pregnant, too! He was going to spawn a child with that creature, knowingly and willingly?!

He'd not only taken the little bitch (and probably had a bad or boring time while he was at it, knowing that thing could only be a virgin), but he'd done it and made it all the way through enough times to get her pregnant?!

He'd never once even attempted to finish inside Ruth! Why the hell had he chosen that little cow, when he'd already had Ruth ready and waiting to receive whatever he could give?!

She'd suffer pregnancy a thousand times over, if it meant she'd get to be queen one day!

That was a thought that struck her like a lightning bolt – suddenly, painfully and in a flash that almost left her staggering. Unlike a lightning bolt, however, it also only served to increase her rage.

That Babcock slut was going to be _Queen of England_ one day, and mother to the heir to the throne!

And all Ruth could do to make sure she didn't scream aloud was bite down hard on her own fist. She was probably biting hard enough to draw blood, as Marie clasped her hands together, before clutching at her chest and crying out in pure delight.

"_Oh, Niles, that is wonderful!"_ she cried, leaping out of her seat and immediately rushing forward to bring her son into a bone-crushing embrace. _"When did you find out?! How long has it been?!"_

"_Four months. She's well into her second trimester. We wanted to wait until the quickening of the child before telling you,_" Niles explained, returning his mother's hug. "_Her belly is huge, Maman, it will be a big child!_"

"_Good. The bigger and the healthier your child is, the better. It will secure your marriage and C.C.'s position when you eventually tell your father."_

Secure their marriage…? Despite her anger, Ruth couldn't help but find the Queen's words strange. What on Earth did she mean by that? Why would they have to secure their marriage before telling King Jo––

_Of course! _

In just a split second, the final piece of the puzzle had clicked in Ruth's head and the maid was soon smiling to herself again. Joseph didn't know Niles was married! And the only reason why they would have to hide until they could secure their marriage was because they had married without the king's blessing! It all made sense – the Babcock slut being gone from the palace, the secrecy about the pregnancy, the queen and Niles conversing in French to keep anyone from finding out about their little plan… Their marriage had clearly been celebrated behind the King's back, and almost certainly against his wishes! A strange sense of delight – no, perhaps not only delight. Maybe a sense of encouragement as well, like the kind that would strike a general at the turning point in a battle – passed through Ruth at that moment.

Joseph didn't know about them. He didn't know that his son had married his (unfortunately favourite) whore. He didn't know that the Babcock bitch was his daughter-in-law, or that she would now hold a title and new ranking position in the palace. He didn't know that he was going to be a grandfather, to a child that was already four months on in its development...

But he could. And she was sure she wouldn't be happy.

Now that she knew everything, it would be the easiest thing in the world to tell the king what was going on! She might get a reward, for such good, loyal behaviour. Even something small, like a necklace or a bracelet to replace the one the bastard prince had insisted on taking back, would be earnestly accepted. Even if it meant having him take her in every position known to man first, it would still be worth it.

There would obviously be a punishment for both that bastard of a prince and his whore, too, which would be a blessed and incredibly fun thing to either watch (again, she could eavesdrop) or hear about later when the other maids told the story and it spread around the palace. It would certainly be a delicious revenge for his slight, and for not choosing her in the first place.

He could've avoided everything, by choosing her. Love – if such a thing even really existed – would never have had to enter into the conversation.

She needed only wait until the king was back from his hunting trip.

Only a few more days, and the whore's time would be up.

Having gathered all the evidence she needed, Ruth quietly closed and latched the door. She had work to do, after all, and a perfect incentive to keep the morale up until the king was back. Soon enough, she'd be back where she belonged, and the Babcock bitch would be six feet under.

_Just where she belonged. _


	24. Chapter 24

_**Chapter 23**_

It had been years since Joseph had had such an awful hunt. He couldn't remember when (and even if) he and his men had had such rotten luck before! They hadn't been able to bag more than a number of boars and perhaps one or two stags – the rest had all been minor game, like rabbits or hares.

It had left him in an awful mood throughout the whole trip, so much so he'd actually cut it short by a few weeks, preferring to return home instead. Not that being back had helped his mood – Marie was being her usual cold self, meaning she had only curtsied to him before leaving to attend to her business. His son hadn't been anywhere near, either – Joseph had soon found out he'd retired to his lodge and would only be back the following morning.

Clearly the universe wasn't on his side these days, so the only thing he'd felt he could do was retire to his study to look over his son's work from the past few months. He was half-way through the many reports and documents that had been created in his absence when he heard a knock on the door.

"Enter," Joseph said, looking up from his desk.

The king was mildly surprised when a well-known face pushed the door open, dressed in what she knew was his favourite attire of hers – the one dress that left her breast practically bulging out. Ruth: the dirtiest slut in the palace and, naturally, Joseph's favourite servant.

He supposed that she was eager to see him, after he'd been gone for so long – it was unusual for her to come to him without having been summoned; Joseph didn't normally authorise maids to come and visit him whenever they wanted it – their pleasure was their own problem, he only took care of his own!

Though, come to think of it, her touch might just be what he needed…

He started to smile, much more pleasant and charming than he had previously been, "Ah, Ruth. You must have just read my mind! Remove your undergarments and come sit on my desk."

Ruth shook her head as she curtsied, "Unfortunately, Your Majesty, that is not why I'm here."

If the woman hadn't looked as though what she wanted to say was urgent, Joseph would have yelled at her to not waste his time and then kicked her out. As it was, he felt he could listen to her for as long as it took to get her to spread her legs for him. If she hadn't changed her mind about being bent over his desk by the end of it, then he'd throw her out and call some other maid who might.

Perhaps the Babcock girl would take her place, if his son was done with her.

"Then what's the matter?" he asked, keeping himself together for the time being.

The slut shifted from foot to foot a little. To some, she might have looked eager, or maybe agitated to get to the point, but Joseph could only focus on the way her breasts jiggled about when she did that.

Luckily for Ruth, it wasn't so much of a distraction that it prevented him from listening to what she was saying.

"I just thought that you would want to know about your son, my Lord."

Joseph nearly leapt up from his seat. What about his son? What had Niles done, or had done to him, that meant Ruth had to come to him to tell him the news?!

Had they...had they been going at it? It would certainly explain the slut's dress. Had something happened during, that had made her leave to come and fetch him?

He didn't know. She didn't look like she was in any particular hurry, either.

The suspense was nearly too much, until he had to hurry her up.

"What about him? Get it out, girl!"

That made her jump into action much faster, though an excited smirk did also appear on her face. She looked like a child who had just caught their sibling doing something they shouldn't, and was very much keen to go tell their mother...

"He has married Lady Babcock, Your Majesty. And she is now with child."

The words met Joseph's unwelcome ears and were greeted with instant hostility.

"You think you're being funny, do you?" he asked, the adrenaline starting to course in his veins.

His boy wouldn't do such a thing, would he? He already had a plan for Niles, and it didn't involve the Babcock girl getting any higher in the palace than occasionally bouncing off a mattress, no ring on her finger or a title marking her as some man's wife!

Ruth shook her head at his question, "No, my lord! Never for something so serious!"

That was when something snapped in Joseph's mind. He leapt from his seat, and watched as Ruth skittered backwards. He wasn't going to hurt her (he knew she wouldn't lie, really – she was a slut, but a truthful one), but he could feel his fists closing up on themselves. His blood might have just instantly boiled to a degree that would've killed a lesser man, but his mind was on things far beyond the person who'd brought him the news.

His son. His one joy and treasure, had gone behind his back, betrayed him and married that little kitchen slut as though it were all nothing?! Who the hell did he think he was, to do as he pleased and to disobey his father's wishes like that?! Did he think it was a joke, that the country would be made a laughingstock when the rest of the world found out that their future queen was a floor-scrubbing, tea-serving whore?!

A whore who would give birth to a bastard that the law meant he would be forced to recognise! And what if she was allowed to have more?! The slut's blood would flow through generations of kings if that happened! The future of his entire bloodline was in jeopardy! His legacy was heading for the gutter!

How had his family been dragged so far through the mud, without his even realising?!

He should never have gone on that blasted hunting trip! He would've been around to restrain his boy and have that bitch thrown out into the street where she belonged! It wouldn't have even mattered that he would've been wasting prime venison – there were plenty more where she came from, unspoiled and just ripe.

"When did this happen?!" Joseph demanded, stalking to Ruth and grabbing her by the shoulders. "When did they wed?!"

"I...I don't know, my Lord. But the Lady Babcock is four months along!"

Four months along... that was roughly when he'd first left for his hunting trip! They'd done it on purpose, waiting for the best moment to act and make a fool of him!

Neither one of them knew it yet, but they had both just made a terrible mistake. No one got the better of him – no one who wanted to live to talk about the experience, anyway.

Not that he would go to such extreme lengths with his boy. He'd be punished severely, obviously, but he was not about to get rid of his only son and heir! Not over a slight, even if it was a betrayal as well!

No, his Niles would be fine, in the end. He'd get a new, worthy bride that his father had chosen for him. Joseph would make sure that whichever princess or lady was picked would be just as beautiful, young and supple as Lady Babcock! He could have as many legitimate heirs as he wanted with that girl, and then have his fun with the maids, whores and any other woman who wasn't foolish enough to reject his advances.

As for the Babcock slut...well, that made him slightly uncomfortable to think about, if he was honest.

He wouldn't have anything done to her while she was pregnant – he couldn't do that. The child wasn't at fault, even if it was a bastard that its parents would try to masquerade as legitimate. Its only crime was being conceived, and that was something it hadn't been able to help, either.

No. Joseph wasn't going to damn himself by ordering the death of a pregnant woman. Whatever he ended up doing to the whore his boy had made pregnant, the child wouldn't be involved. He had to send her away somewhere – somewhere she could have the baby, get it removed from her, and then...well, have her removed.

There was no chance of her coming back and causing trouble that way. All sluts were the same in the end, and easily replaced with another available hole. Niles would learn to do without her.

But before getting rid of the slut, he had to find a family for the bastard child. Whether he liked it or not, that child would be a grandchild of his, albeit one he would never acknowledge publicly. He was not about to let the child rot away in some second-class orphanage – no, it would grow up surrounded by privilege and with loving parents. Just not her son and his slut of a wife. Joseph would find it a good family that would look after him or her as if it were their own.

And he might just know the people that were the perfect fit.

People who could both take the child and get rid of Niles' slut.

He'd be killing to birds with one stone, that was for granted.

The whole operation would have to be done in the utmost secrecy. There was no sense in taking the girl before she was ready to give birth. Niles wouldn't be happy, and if he knew his son he'd probably try to look for the girl, meaning that he'd have to restrain him and lock him up, which was something he absolutely didn't wish to do. No, he had to play along until the time to strike was just right.

The first step of his plan, then, had to be contacting his future accomplices. His problem would all be taken care of, soon enough. He wouldn't have to worry about his legacy, or the state the country would be left in, and the whore wouldn't be around to darken their doorstep ever again.

Releasing Ruth's arms, he turned away and went back to his desk, "I have a letter to write – you are dismissed."

The maid nearly staggered back at that, starting to pout in indignation.

The king wasn't going to reward her for this priceless information? Not even with something small – a few gold coins, perhaps? It wasn't much, considering the service she'd just done for him! Telling Joseph that his son had gotten married and was now going to be a father was a much greater feat than, say, bending over a desk and letting him take it any which way he wanted!

She took a step forward, "Your Majesty–"

"I said you are dismissed, woman."

Joseph didn't even look at her, but the words seemed to have their own glare that pierced Ruth entirely. The pout crinkled, and her stare hardened.

Not a gem, or a precious metal. Not even a fuck for her trouble! She might as well not even have bothered telling Joseph, for everything her loyalty got her!

But fine. If he was going to be that way, she wasn't going to stand there and wait for him to change his mind. He was probably in a bad enough mood anyway, and it could turn on anybody at any moment...

So, she curtsied to his back, before marching out, back to her own room.

The dress had certainly been a waste of time!


	25. Chapter 25

_**Chapter 24**_

Ever since his father had come back, Niles had had to cut back on his visits to his wife, lest Joseph started to suspect anything. He'd been strangely pleasant since his arrival, treating him and his mother to days out, and not once mentioning his plan to have him married off by his next birthday.

The day itself came and went without any mention of it, in fact. Niles and Marie spent the whole day on edge at the thought, but Joseph never brought it up once.

Every day after that passed put their minds slightly more at ease, until they accepted the apparent happy circumstance. Joseph had either decided to delay it, or had decided against it entirely.

Niles in particular knew he had to count his blessings for that – if his father had brought up his plan to get him married, they would have had to reveal the ruse and C.C. would have had to take refuge at the French court. Or even worse: their plan could have failed entirely and both of them could be on their way to the gallows.

Not that being apart from her didn't feel like a prison sentence in itself.

Each day that they couldn't be together was akin to torture, and there was nothing else that he could do apart from grin and bear it. Even if going to bed alone every night killed him, his wife and child's security was far more important.

This latest separation had lasted for well over a month. Niles often sent her letters via Margaret, who went over to visit C.C. almost daily. She'd been supplying her with clothes that fit her ever-changing body as well as with new jewels and accessory to match her new closet. He hadn't been able to see many of her new dresses, given that he couldn't stay at the lodge for longer than a few days. However, this time he'd be able to stay for two weeks – he'd told his father he'd be taking a little time off at the lodge, which meant he wouldn't be expected back at court for a while.

Niles simply couldn't wait to be back at his wife's (in)side! Their sex life was just as wonderful as when they'd first gotten married, but her impressive stomach (the bloody thing was the biggest bump Niles had ever seen – even bigger then Lady Spencer's) had slowed them down a little. C.C.'s constant aches wouldn't let them engage in their usual activities, and her riding him was no longer a possibility.

He did everything he could to keep her satisfied in every other possible position they could manage, though. Her moods had, admittedly, changed for the worse with the aches her pregnancy brought ("You did this to me!" was often heard in the household these days) and he wanted to keep her happy as best he could. He couldn't have her going without when she wanted it, and God only knew he was starved for her touch any time they weren't in the same building!

He was looking forward to being able to hold her in his arms, pleasuring her, hearing her sigh his name...

Even thinking about it briefly had been a danger in court – it could easily turn into an hour that he'd sit there, just dreaming of what he would do with his beloved once they had been reunited! He was lucky that no one had caught him, or if they had, hadn't thought to ask what he was doing!

And he'd been so careful and discreet for all the time they'd been away from one another, the last thing he wanted was for some minor slip-up to ruin it all!

The fact that they'd managed it so masterfully so far only added to his jovial mood, as the carriage made its merry way along the path.

His lodge was getting bigger in the distance, the closer they got to it. He was even trying to see if he could peer through any of the windows and spot his beloved, watching and waiting for him...

It wouldn't be long now and he'd be holding her in his arms again...

He couldn't wait for the day he wouldn't have to let go. The day where his little family could be together, happy and well and fearing no one. It would come, soon enough, and until then he was determined to protect the most important people in his life.

Ever since the child had begun kicking, Niles loved to lie next to his wife, hand on her belly, ready and waiting to feel the little life they'd created. His touch soothed the child, C.C. said, so if their little one was particularly restless, she'd ask him to sing it a lullaby.

He didn't want to brag, but he'd never failed to appease their child. Not even once.

Maybe, when it was born, he'd get to sing him or her to sleep, too.

When the carriage eventually pulled up, Niles could see George Laurens, their trusted butler and one of C.C.'s friends from when she was a maid, already waiting for him at the gates.

He waited for the footman to open the door, which felt like a small lifetime, even if it was only a few seconds at most, and he wasted no time in descending the steps. He had to get inside!

He greeted the butler warmly at the door, "Good day, George! Is my wife up in the house?"

The butler bowed in return, "Indeed she is, Your Royal Highness. Last I recall, she was thinking of resting until you had returned. It is possible she is still in your chambers."

Part of Niles – a _very_ specific part – couldn't help but be pleased at that. In actual fact, it was thinking about how that sounded much like killing two birds with one stone, but he didn't mention that part to Laurens. He didn't have to know all the details!

He was a good butler to them, and it was only fair that they were good to him in return. He had been a friend to C.C. before and that wouldn't stop simply because she was no longer a maid. How hypocritical would that be? Their servants did everything for them. It was only right they did everything they could in return to make sure they were looked after, healthy and happy.

He nodded at what the man had said, "Good, good. I'll go up and see her. If anybody comes for me, say that I am not to be disturbed."

"As you wish, sir," Laurens smiled and bowed again.

Niles didn't waste time in letting him return to his duties after that. He had his wife to see to, up in the house, after all! So, without stopping for one more moment – not even to check that his bags were being carried in – he hurried inside.

He raced through the hallway and up the stairs, calling out greetings to people as he went but not stopping to exchange pleasantries. He had more important things on his mind than idle conversation, after all!

The most important person on his mind, he thought. He couldn't wait to see his wife, maybe reclining there waiting for him to come and give her what she wanted, or maybe still sleeping, curled up and adorable. He could kiss her awake as though they were in a fairytale, if that were the case!

The possibilities were endless!

He loved being able to kiss her awake, though. He'd make the most of the privilege for these two weeks, that was for sure!

He called out when they got close to their bedroom, just in case.

"C.C., there's someone here to see you...!"

No reply. She must have still been asleep – she wouldn't have been silent about his return if she had heard him calling.

He was careful and quiet when opening the door to their chambers.

"C.C., my love...?"

But, much to his surprise, he found his wife awake. She was curled up against her pillows, clutching a cushion and staring moodily at him. She looked like she hadn't even had an hour of sleep, and that was only serving to help make her miserable.

Niles felt his heart drop into his stomach, immediately guilty for having left her for all this time. What had happened while he was gone?! Was...was it the discomfort of her pregnant belly? What could he do to help?

This was all his fault, wasn't it? He had made her pregnant and then he'd had to go off! He could've been taking care of her, helping her not to feel so upset, and yet he had been confined to court! These two weeks might've been more needed than he'd thought! He could start by using the time to find out why his wife was so upset, this time!

He rushed to her side immediately.

"C.C., sweetheart! Whatever is the matter?!"

"Same as always," she replied with a huff. "You are gone for weeks on end, I am locked up in here with nothing to do and, to cap it all, everything hurts and I need help to do just about anything – from getting out of bed to doing my business!"

Niles was torn between feeling guilty and finding the situation comically adorable. He knew pregnancy was proving a difficult experience for her, especially when he wasn't around at all times to help (hence the guilt), but he'd be lying if he said he didn't find her pregnancy-related clumsiness adorable. Not that he'd ever tell her – he valued his life (and certain bits and pieces) too much to incur her wrath.

As such, he had to do what he did best: comfort her in times of need.

"Oh, love," he crooned, slipping into bed next to her and wrapping his arms around her middle – he knew she liked it when he cradled her belly. "I'm so sorry… I know this is hard on you, and believe me, I'd be here at all times if I could."

"I know, I know…" she replied, nestling into him "It just doesn't make it any easier. I feel lonely and depressed – I thought I'd be able to handle the separation, but I'm really not!"

Niles frowned as he rested his chin against her shoulder. How he wished that he could find some way of being able to stay with his beloved all the time, so that the days would pass quicker!

If they did, they'd be closer to her due date, and the sooner that happened, the sooner they'd be able to declare everything to the world. They could be a family, like any other, without anybody being able to speak a single word against them!

He could see an image in his head of his father, angry and frustrated as he tried to speak ill of them, only to find that no words left his mouth when he opened it. Or, in an equally pleasing image, that his father simply couldn't open his mouth at all.

Both wanted to make him chuckle, but he held it in – the last thing he wanted was for C.C. to think he was laughing at what she'd said!

Instead, he rubbed comfortingly at her back, "It will only be a short time longer, my love. You will not be pregnant forever – as soon as the baby is born, we will return to court as the family we deserve to be. It's just a little while longer to endure."

He wished that he was able to give better advice than that. To speak more soothing words than that. He knew it was only a matter of time – they both did – but that wasn't going to make the time pass by them any faster.

He could only hope that at least a little bit of time would go faster (in one sense, in another, he wanted it to stop entirely), with him back at the lodge to help. He wanted them to make the most of their time, considering there would be another stretch of time before he could stay for so long again.

He supposed he wouldn't be able to visit for at least a month, meaning he'd only be back around the same time C.C. was due to have the baby. His worst fear was not being there when she eventually went into labour, but sadly there wasn't much they could do. Babies didn't exactly let their parents know when they were planning on arriving, so they'd have to make do.

It still made him worry, obviously. He didn't think he was going to be able to take a single step outside of the lodge, when the countdown began for the final month! He'd simply be too worried – what if she went into labour while he was out?

It was going to be a tense time. Niles wasn't sure he was looking forward to all of it, even when he did place it into the bigger picture. Granted, it might have been a closer time to having their little one with them, safe and sound, but it was still going to be plagued by worry.

Well, they did say that the darkest hour came before the light, didn't they? Perhaps it was true and it would be proven to them, in the weeks ahead. He do everything he could with the time he had, in order to make his love. feel as comfortable as she could. It wouldn't be easy for her – far less easy than it was for him to simply sit and talk about it! – but he was certain they could manage.

They had to, if he ever wanted to see that picture of his father shutting up come true. If they were to go home together, as the family they were. If they were to be addressed as prince and princess...

"But what if it isn't, Niles? C.C. protested, sounding impossibly miserable. "What if it isn't just a short while? What…what if things go wrong?"

"Sweetheart, we've been over this before," Niles said, trying to be as gentle and loving as he possibly could. "If things go wrong, you'll be evacuated to France until it's safe for you to return with our chi–"

"I didn't mean the plan going wrong," she interrupted him. "I meant…well…my pregnancy going wrong…"

Niles felt his whole body tense at his wife's words – what…what did she mean by her pregnancy going wrong? And why was she getting worried about it? Did…did she feel unwell? Had she noticed something was off with the baby?! What had happened while he'd been gone?! She'd never even mentioned things going wrong with her pregnancy before!

"What do you mean, love? Why would you even think about things going wrong? Have you been feeling unwell?"

C.C. shook her head no.

"No…no. I have been feeling alright, but…well…I…I am afraid of giving birth," said C.C., "What…what if something goes wrong? What if…what if I don't make it? Or…what if I give birth to a girl and something happens to me! Her position in the succession line will be threatened by any future male heirs you have, because I know your father would make you remarry as soon as possible. Probably before they even bury me!"

She couldn't help dissolving into tears, even before she'd finished her speech. The pain and the terror of even thinking about it were all too much, and the feelings had to burst through, out into the open.

Even if they hadn't, Niles would've still done what he did, which was pull her into the tightest hug he could manage.

It was all he could think to do, both to stop her from seeing the dread spreading across his face, and to remind himself that nothing bad had happened. He wasn't being faced with the prospect of endless despair, a daughter with a dubious claim to the throne, and a new, unwanted wife that he would never wish to see. C.C. was alive, the baby was alive, he had the family he'd never imagined he'd ever get and the life he found himself overwhelmingly happy to be living. And that was the way it was going to stay.

No one was ever going to make him marry anybody else – they wouldn't have to! His wife was strong, and brave, and she'd make it through anything that came along.

She was still there, and she was always going to be there.

He just had to protect her, in every way, shape and form that he could. And that was what he was doing.

"Don't even think such things. No one is going to bury you, my love," he kept his words as firm as he possibly could, even as his voice cracked from the inside. "You are strong, and you will make it through this. I will be there to help you, every step of the way!"

He knew he couldn't promise such a thing, really. He had no say in what happened when a woman went into labour, but his beloved needed the reassurance...

But she had brought up a point he'd missed, from being so caught up in ensuring the plan went smoothly.

It...wasn't a nice way of being reminded, but he supposed he had to take it for what it was. She was right – if something happened to her, any daughter they had previously would face a difficult journey to the throne.

Especially if – God forbid – he was forced to marry again, and have sons.

He didn't want any child of his that didn't also belong to C.C. so much as _touching_ the crown. He'd do whatever it took to see that his first legitimate child, whether a boy or a girl, succeeded him.

So, as he pulled away from his love, he let the plan form in his head and cupped her cheeks in his palms.

"But, if...if something does go wrong...I will ensure any daughter of ours sees the throne go to her. I will change the law the moment I become king – no matter if we have a prince or a princess, they will succeed me as monarch."

C.C.'s face morphed from one of wonder, to shock, and then to delight.

"You mean it?" she asked, hope lighting up her face. "Our child won't be overlooked if she's a girl?"

"Of course not," Niles replied, unable to contain his beaming smile at seeing his wife so happy. "If our eldest is a girl, then by right the crown will be hers."

Anyone who said otherwise would answer to him.

C.C. let out a happy laugh, "I never thought I'd see the day when a king would willingly declare his daughter his heir over his son!"

"It's only fair and right – we've had plenty of kings in our history," Niles kissed his wife's cheek and lips. "A queen. A good and powerful queen; that is what makes a country succeed."

"And you think we're going to make it succeed?" C.C. asked.

Niles gave her a look of adoration, "I think we're going to be the greatest country on Earth, my love. Now, what do you say if we get out of bed and have lunch together? I've got a number of surprises waiting for you downstairs, too!"

She looked intrigued, really and truly starting to smile, "Oh, you do?"

She wasn't to know until he'd shown her, but Niles had bought her the finest new dresses, pieces of jewellery and clothes for their baby that money could buy. Courtesy of Margaret and Noel, of course. The former had been visiting regularly recently, and would always bring clothes to help with C.C.'s ever-growing figure.

He couldn't wait to see the look on her face at the selection, both for her and their baby! He personally thought the other couple had outdone themselves, but that was his own opinion.

C.C.'s would be the one that was important.

He beamed back at her, getting up from the bed, "I certainly do. Now, would you like some help getting up?"

C.C. didn't particularly want to admit that she did, but considering the fact that she knew she wouldn't get her lunch or her surprises if she stayed where she was, she decided to grin and bear that one little moment of indignity. Niles practically gathered her into his arms to help her out of bed and help her get dressed.

He kept his arm around her as they headed for the stairs, too.

It was a much more comforting end, when the beginning had been full of so much worry. She knew she could trust Niles to be good to their child, and to keep their position safe, no matter what happened to her...

He was like a real-life fairytale knight in shining armour…

"I've got another surprise for you, too, but I'm not sure the servants will be pleased if I get it out at the dinner table..."

…when he wanted to be.

She gave an unimpressed look to her smirking husband as they made their way towards the staircase. Only he could take a moment and sufficiently ruin it with the right combination of words.

Not that it entirely mattered here. She was only playing around, and looking forward to Niles' "surprise" as much as he was.

After all, she was going to make the most of him being there, with her and their unborn child.


	26. Chapter 26

_**Chapter 25**_

It was fortunate, in Joseph's mind, that he had been through so many battles in his lifetime. And had seen so many executions. It made all the blood and gore more bearable to look at, and he didn't fuss as much as he might've done otherwise, whenever he accidentally stepped in some.

It was a pity that some of them had to be maids, strewn amongst the dead as he walked through the house. They might've been fun for a couple of rides.

But he didn't let his thoughts linger there. He had a more important task at hand, and there was plenty of supple, willing flesh out there, still living and breathing. These maids were just in the way at the time, as were the footmen, the pages, the cooks and any of the other bloodied corpses he passed on his way.

Their slaughter was nothing personal. It simply had to happen.

His associate's men certainly knew what they were doing, too. They'd been ordered to raid Niles' lodge and not leave a single servant alive as a witness, and they were managing that swiftly and efficiently.

Just as professionals did.

It seemed that they were close to accomplishing their goal, as well; the further the king and the guards made their way through the rooms, stepping over bodies, pools of blood or broken furniture from fighting, and all the while he could hear the Babcock girl's screams getting louder.

"No! Please! Stop it – let go of him! Let go!"

It sounded like there had to be someone with her, if she was begging so hard for their life. He could hear grunts and yelps of pain, too, alongside shouting and the dull thud of fists pounding into flesh.

Until suddenly, that all stopped.

The shrieking and caterwauling as they walked ever closer towards the door was all hers, though. And that carried on like the continuous ring of a church bell on a Sunday morning.

"_No_! Let go of me! Get off! Laurens! Laurens, get up! Get up, please!"

The corners of Joseph's mouth twitched upwards briefly. Whatever had happened in the next room – and he was about to find out what that was – he already thought it obvious that this "Laurens" fellow wasn't going to do as the girl asked.

Indeed, he found just one body on the floor when he reached the room. It was crumpled, and curled up with a dark red stain creeping out over its clothes and onto the floor around it.

If Laurens was alive still, he wouldn't be much longer.

His shape looked vaguely familiar, too, the king thought as he glanced in passing. He must've been the butler, or some such, to the lodge. He'd probably been trying to do his misguided duty in protecting the girl.

Poor fool.

The girl, who even now was trying to break herself free from the guards holding her by the arms, wasn't worth protecting. She had seduced his boy in a manner that Joseph simply couldn't allow – if Niles had merely had his fun with her and then dropped her, he would've congratulated his son on a job well done and then had his turn, before they could both look for fresher meat.

But no. She had chosen to marry his son. The whore had gotten above her station, and she was going to be punished for not backing down while she still had the chance. She would doom the kingdom to ruin and humiliation, if he allowed any of it to continue any further. So he simply wouldn't.

He had his plan. He'd see it through, and by the end, no one who'd been in that lodge before he, his men and the Earl of Carlisle's men had arrived, would be around to tell the tale of that night.

The only reason he was even keeping her alive (and relatively untouched, minus the guards) at that moment was because of the baby growing inside her belly.

Her belly, which was swollen so much larger than he had even imagined it would be! How big would any child be, that had come from that?!

He might not even have to let the people he'd sold her child to end her life, by the time she got to her labour. Surely, giving birth to a baby that size would do all the hard work for them!

But now it wasn't the time to worry about the girl's death. She had yet to find out that she was sentenced to die, at any rate, and that her child would be given to a worthier family. Said family, as it so happened, were the Earl and Countess of Carlisle. Joseph considered them to be two of his staunchest supporters, and they'd readily accepted his deal. They were of the opinion that dirty whores such as Lady Babcock weren't supposed to climb up the social ladder, and had been more than happy to end her misery and give her child a happy life.

They hadn't been able to have a child of their own, so an heir was more than welcome. Joseph knew they'd be wonderful parents, and the child would never have to know about his or her shameful origins. They'd grow up to be happy, hard-working and cultured members of society.

"We meet at last, slut," he spat at the terrified woman before delivering a swift, hard slap across her face. "That, my dear, was for trying to make a fool out of me."

He then delivered yet another slap, this time on her other cheek. Had the guards not been holding her, she'd have probably collapsed to the ground.

"And that, was for whoring your way up the social ladder by using that thing between your legs to cajole my son into marrying you, you little slut!"

It was obvious from the way she glared back up at him that the guards hadn't subdued her entirely. The fire burning as hot as the sun in her eyes told him that girl still had some fight in her.

"I never cajoled him into anything, _Your Majesty_," she spat his title with enough venom to kill an army of men. "Your son married me because he loves me. Not that you'd understand what that is, considering the only person you love is yourself!"

That earned her another hard slap across the face, and Joseph made sure it was as hard as he could get it.

He wasn't going to stand for insolence like that! She dared to be rude to her king? The man who held her very life in the palm of his hand?! She deserved to suffer the consequences – of everything she'd done, not just her pithy little act of rebellion!

He'd see to it that she suffered while she did. The Carlisles were good at that sort of thing. So much so, that he'd once considered making the Earl Constable of the Tower. That way he'd be able to choose his own lord lieutenant, and they'd both be able to treat the prisoners as they saw fit...

He'd been forced to reconsider, for one reason or another, but now he felt as though he might be able to make up for it. He'd give them a worthy prisoner; the traitorous whore who'd nearly destroyed the whole kingdom!

She'd be gone for good. Again, it was a pity, considering he'd have liked a turn or two on her. But her insolence and insistence on climbing to where she didn't belong had to take precedence.

He leaned in close to her face, never once blinking as he kept his gaze steadily on hers.

"You will come to regret your poorly chosen words, girl. As well as everything else you have done or tried to do, here."

"You accuse me of having committed a crime, but you have yet to say which!" she replied, teeth bared and venom dripping from her every word. "Love is no crime, sir, and that's the only thing your son and I are guilty of."

Joseph could've scoffed aloud at this apparent declaration of innocence. Not that it would do her any good – her guilt had already been decided, and nothing would change his mind on that. She was willingly betraying her country, and there was only one sentence in the land for treason.

He stood up fully again so that he towered over her. It was how he preferred to be, whenever he passed sentence on some wretch who was about to meet their maker.

It made them look so small. Like ants, waiting to be crushed.

"You don't count treason as a crime?" he asked coldly.

He deliberately paused to relish in her panic, as her eyes grew wide and she began to struggle against her guards again.

"Treason?!"

She sounded as though she could scarcely believe her own ears. But she'd barely heard a thing, as of yet.

Even thinking about it set a smile on the king's lips.

"You will be taken from this place, to the home of the Earl and Countess of Carlisle. There, you will be kept until you have given birth, at which point, you shall be executed."

"What?!"

C.C. thought she must have been trapped in a nightmare. She had to be, didn't she?! The king hadn't just had all her friends in the lodge slaughtered, all to come and arrest her and then have her killed on a charge she hadn't committed!

It couldn't be happening, not really – the plan couldn't be going wrong like this! They'd come so far, and now they were going to fall at the last moment?! That wasn't right! It wasn't fair! That wasn't what was supposed to happen! She was supposed to live – to make a loving family with Niles, to have his children and to be his wife, no matter what anybody said!

He'd promised her they'd rule together. Where had that future gone...?!

She could feel a sense of deep, impenetrable dread and despair coming over her as Joseph continued, smiling like he was enjoying it all very much.

"Of course, the child will never know about any of this. The Carlisles wanted to keep it, and in exchange for carrying out your execution and burial themselves, as well as a monetary conversation, I will be allowing them. They'll make finer parents than you ever would've been, you little whore."

Everything in C.C. – internally and externally – suddenly began to scream in a way that made her think she'd never stop. Her lungs burned and so did her eyes with the tears that came as her heart cracked, then splintered, being crushed into smaller and smaller pieces until it became fine dust.

Her body was battered and sore from trying to fight the guards who had just killed one of her closest friends, ached. Just like the hollow in her chest, where she'd once held everything dear.

Her baby...they were going to take her baby, too...?!

No. No, she wouldn't let them take her baby! Not the little one that she had made out of love, with her husband, to start the family that they'd dreamed of having!

She wouldn't let them do it! She wouldn't let them put the baby with some other family, who'd bought it like cattle, just because they'd wanted one!

She barely heard the king as he ordered the troops to take her away. She was too busy trying to fight back, to run, to do something that might give her and her baby a chance...!

They had to get away. They had to get to Niles! He'd protect them from everything, and get them to France. No one could touch them in the French king's court – that had been promised! She could give birth in comfort and peace, before returning to England, and reuniting with her love.

They could be a family again...just like he'd promised...

She shouted more, screamed, cursed and spat as she attempted to wrestle her arms away from her captors. But none of it was any use. She was exhausted even from trying; she'd begged and they'd killed Laurens. She'd fought and they'd held on harder.

And now she was being taken away to a doom she couldn't prevent.

Her love would never know what had happened to her, or their child. And their child would grow up not knowing it had been traded for money, all because their grandfather had hated their mother so much, he'd rather have seen her dead than married to his son.

She cursed Joseph once more, loudly, before she was dragged out of his sight, and as she went with the guards to God only knew where next, she tried hard not to imagine some other woman snatching up her baby to sing it a lullaby, and to wrap it in blankets and call it her own...

She tried, and she failed. And from that, she began to weep.

* * *

They'd known it would be coming. The carriage. It bobbed gently up and down as it pulled up the gravel path that led to their home, flanked at each side by armed men – _their_ armed men. They'd sent the best of the best, in order to pull this off, and they'd clearly delivered.

In a way, the couple thought to themselves, the stork was about to arrive, carrying the precious heir or heiress they'd been praying for. It didn't really matter that they'd eventually have to slay it – as long as they got what they wanted, they didn't mind getting their hands a little dirty.

King Joseph had been most kind by giving them this unique opportunity, and they weren't going to fail him, either. He hadn't tagged along to see the prisoner handed over to her gaolers, but that didn't surprise them – the girl wasn't worth the effort. Just like the King had said, she was but a common little wench who'd gotten too big for her boots.

"Ready, my sweet?" Charles Howard, Earl of Carlisle, said to his wife, offering her a bright smile.

"Never been readier, my lord!" replied Elizabeth Howard, Countess of Carlisle.

Together, they crossed the courtyard as the carriage came to a halt. They could already hear the girl's muffled cries coming from inside.

Not that crying would do her any good. Her fate was sealed, even from before she'd even set foot in the carriage that had brought her right to their doorstep.

They should've thought of something like this a long time ago. Had they realised before that no one would miss a pregnant whore, they'd have taken one off the street and done the exact same thing.

It was possible that they could've had four or five children by now. But they couldn't dwell on what they hadn't done – this was their firstborn. Their heir, coming right now and so very nearly ready to arrive into the world...

The men forced the carriage door open and pulled the girl out, never once giving her time to run or even to think about looking for a way out. Not that she would've been able to, with the size of that belly – it was too big for her to even think about trying to get away!

Elizabeth smirked at it. If her belly was that big, surely the baby had to be of a great size, too? That meant it was healthy, and strong. It would survive infancy, and with their love and guidance, would grow up to be a strong, happy child. Even better if it was a boy – he'd be a great strapping lad, just like his father, and he'd learn to manage their estate with the same iron fist.

Charles, on the other hand, could only grin at the girl's face.

She was pretty. Some might even say beautiful, with those sapphire eyes and statuesque features, all framed in golden blonde hair. As the baby's mother, there was a good chance that the little one would grow up to look like her, and all the better if it did, if it was a girl.

They'd find her a husband before she turned fifteen, at that rate. She'd never grow up to be a whore, like the woman who'd birthed her.

Not that she'd ever know about her.

It was, in some respects, a pity that they had to off the girl right after she'd had the baby. She would've made a delightful plaything – even with the belly, he could see she was curvaceous, and Charles liked being able to run his hands over curves...

He'd never managed to keep a whore in the house, so having one so close to hand was more than a temptation. But he knew he had to resist; the king's orders came first, after all.

The guards brought her forward in short time, and he heard his wife give an excited giggle.

Anticipation was almost crackling in the air, like lightning in thunderclouds. Charles could feel it as well, growing heavier with every step they took. It would be some time before they held the child in their arms, but that day got closer with every passing second.

And the girl who'd been brought to a halt in front of them for a quick inspection would be gone soon after.

"Here is the girl, my lord," said the head of their household guard. "Delivered as promised."

Exactly as promised, Charles thought to himself. The men had done well, and they wouldn't have left a single survivor to witness the incident when they were done.

They were very good at that. It was, in part, why the Howards were so rich – what good was having a small fighting force if you couldn't use them sometimes? As long as they stayed away from using anything with the family colours or crest, they could get away with...well, murder.

Traders, merchants, caravans. All were fair game, if Charles said so. It served as practice for the men, and as long as King Joseph got at least some of the proceeds, he was more than willing to look the other way.

It served everybody. As did this latest raid.

"Excellent work. You may return to your duties," he smiled at the man. It turned vicious when he looked back at the girl. "My wife and I will take it from here..."

Almost as if to stress his point (and also so that the wench didn't get any ideas), Charles unsheathed a small dagger from his belt and pressed it against her neck – not so hard so that she'd be hurt, but just enough to produce a small cut. Blood trickled down her slender neck, until it reached her nightgown's neckline, staining it a deep shade of red.

"If you so much as think about doing anything stupid, I'll slice you open quicker than you can call for help," he said, his voice low and threatening. "Now, you'll stay still while my wife ties your hands. Is it clear?"

The girl nodded between barely contained sobs – she was clearly trying to keep herself from crying! _Adorable_. But also, rather useless…

"Good," he continued, and then gestured for his wife to proceed.

Once Lady Carlisle had bound her hands, the three of them – two captors and their victim – were on their way back to the house. Given the advanced state of her pregnancy, the girl couldn't walk fast, but neither Lord nor Lady Carlisle minded. Her mobility had been greatly reduced by her monstrous stomach, and they weren't about to hurry things up and have the whore fall down. God knows what could happen to their child if she did!

Another thing that was soon evident, was that she was shaking. It was only natural, given that she was dressed only in a flimsy nightgown while out and about in the November cold. That presented yet another worry – the bitch getting sick. Again, if they wanted a healthy child, they couldn't allow that.

"Stop," ordered the Earl, taking his thick fur coat off.

He then placed it around the girl, who looked up at him in confusion.

"You're carrying mine and my wife's child. If you think I'm going to let you take the easy way out by freezing, or catching cold and losing the baby, then you have another thing coming."

He explained sternly and quickly and then forced her to keep moving. He wasn't about to let her get the wrong impression – she herself was as welcome in their house as a bout of the plague (unless she had her sluttish services to put to good use), but they had to think of the needs of their child.

Its birth mother freezing before her labour meant risking the baby. And that was something neither of the couple were willing to do, when they were so close to getting what they wanted.

They'd keep the girl inside and warm(ish) for the amount of time they had to, but after that...

The cold could easily do it for them. They could set her loose in the forest behind the house, tell her they were letting her go and watch her freeze to death as she tried to escape. Of course, they'd have their men prepared just in case it looked like she was going to make it, but watching her rush around before then would be fun.

The only concern was the ground. It was going to be difficult to bury her, even in a shallow grave, if the earth was frozen over. Her body wouldn't last until spring in their cellar...

Another option was burning her body. They'd just have to make sure to dispose of her bones far away from their home, so no suspicion would fall on them. They'd see. He didn't wish to do anything particularly messy or gruesome, given that they needed to be as swift and secretive as possible, but he knew better than anyone there were countless ways of ending a life, and many of them didn't include having the maids scrub the blood off the walls and floors.

When they eventually made it back inside, they guided the girl upstairs (she did need help on her climb up, given her poor balance), all the way to a room at the end of the first floor's hallway. It wasn't as spacious as the one C.C. had had at the lodge, and nowhere near as luxurious, but it wasn't terrible. It had a comfortable-looking, four-poster bed, a fireplace flanked by two plush armchairs, a small wardrobe, a bookcase with an impressive collection of books, and a small desk, upon which lay a number of embroidery supplies.

Had she not known this was to be her final abode before the slaughter, C.C. would have deemed it welcoming.

Her captors were looking at her with the kind of pleased expression that someone might've mistaken for welcoming, too. At a distance, where they couldn't see that the warmth and happiness didn't reach their eyes.

"See?" the Earl gestured around the room, speaking in a manner that suggested she should be grateful. "You'll even keep entertained while you're here. The hours will just _fly by_."

C.C. wanted to ask why on Earth he thought she'd want the hours until her eventual labour and death to pass quickly, but between having only just about stopped crying and not wanting to remind herself of that fact either, she chose to just remain silent instead.

The Earl then wandered over to the wardrobe and pulled it open, revealing a whole row stuffed to bursting point with nightdresses.

"Change into one of these," he said. "There are more than enough and you will need one for every day."

C.C. wasn't able to keep herself silent at that.

"And daywear?" she tried not to croak.

The Earl smiled unpleasantly. In turn, that almost seemed to act as a cue for the lady of the house to gleefully fetch a long chain out from under the bed. One end was already clamped to the nearest leg...

And the other was soon clamped around C.C.'s own ankle.

She didn't know what good jumping, or yelping, would do. But it happened immediately, anyway, much to the loud amusement of the Countess.

"What on Earth would you need daywear for, you stupid cow?" the Earl smirked. "It isn't as though you're going outside."

C.C. felt her heart sinking. They weren't just keeping her in this room until she was ready to die. They were intending for her to...to actually die there.

If it would've gotten her anything at all (anything good, anyway), she would've burst into fresh tears and tried to run. To pull at the chain until it came apart, and escape before they could stop her.

But it was already no use. They had her exactly where they wanted her, and she was trapped.

Once she was bound to the room, no way out and with no hope left, the couple untied her hands, turned away and began to head for the door, joyful expressions on their faces.

But the Earl stopped suddenly, as though he'd just remembered something else.

"Oh, one last thing," he said over his shoulder. "Your meals will be served at six in the morning, noon and seven at night. I suggest you are awake and prepared for them when they arrive."

Without another word, but with a lot of laughter, they then closed and locked the door, leaving C.C. alone.

Alone, in the prison where they intended her to die.

Even with the fire and the room, the thought made her feel colder than she was outside.

Cold as the grave she didn't want to think about. Not that she could help herself, as she shuffled forward, chain clanking behind her, to slump in the nearest armchair, arms coming up to envelope her belly while tears dropped silently down her cheeks.

It was hard not to let the grave consume her thoughts, when she was so close to being in one.


	27. Chapter 27

_**Chapter 26**_

Niles couldn't be happier.

Today, after yet another lengthy absence from his wife's side, he got to go back to his lodge. And this time, he'd stay there until their child had arrived into the world.

The last time he'd seen C.C., she'd been seven months along. They'd spent two dreamy weeks together, doing anything and everything that came to mind – from fun-filled days in the sun, to intimate romantic dinners. Leaving hadn't been easy, especially knowing he wouldn't be able to see her for nearly a month, but they'd managed.

His latest excuse to leave court had been a short hunting trip. His father hadn't asked too many questions – something Niles had been thankful for – but he'd unwittingly put a spanner in the works that very morning when he'd asked Niles to fill in for him at an emergency meeting with the Privy Council. He'd said he had another, much more pressing matter to see to. Part of him had wanted to say no, but he figured that, in the long run, keeping his father happy would prove beneficial.

Much to the prince's chagrin, however, the meeting had extended for a few good hours, and by the time he'd been able to leave, with Dr Potts in tow as well because C.C. was due a check-up, it was well past noon. That was especially disheartening, considering he'd sent his wife a letter telling her they'd be there for lunch, and also because they were due to pick Margaret up on their way to the lodge. The woman had a number of new dresses for C.C., and seeing as it had been a while since she'd visited, Niles had invited her to tag along. Naturally, she hadn't been happy when they'd turned up nearly one hour late, but to her credit she hadn't said anything about their tardiness (Niles had apologised profusely, though, seeing as it was his fault they were late).

He supposed it really didn't matter now – his lodge was already in sight. They might not have been there for lunch (again, the prince planned on apologising for that) but he'd make it up to his wife. He couldn't wait to have her in his arms again!

He planned to make up for every moment he'd missed out on, over the time they'd been apart. They'd have more fun-filled days in the sun, they'd have more romantic dinners, they'd read together and hold each other and wait for the day their child decided to make their appearance...

And best part was, nobody could stop them. He had no reason to return to the palace and his father was unlikely to call him there in such a short time – especially after he'd done him the favour of sitting in for him on the council meeting.

By the time Niles chose to go back, he'd have his wife on his arm and a grandchild to show the king. And that was a thought that made him feel triumphant. Gleeful. Smug...?

Perhaps a little bit smug as well, yes. His father had been wrong, in so many ways, and his little plan to keep them apart by having Niles marry had failed.

He'd have no choice now but to accept C.C. as his daughter-in-law, as the Princess of Wales and as the woman who would one day be queen. Mother of the heir to the throne, and a new matriarch of a great dynasty.

And Niles and C.C. themselves would be doing a lot of work to make sure it was a large dynasty. That was another one of the things he intended to make up to her as soon as possib–

"Shouldn't someone have come out to greet us by now...?"

The unexpected question Margaret posed brought him out of his musings, and he took a closer look out the carriage window, leaning around the doctor, who was doing the same.

She was right...there wasn't a single person waiting outside the lodge to prepare for their arrival! Not even one of the footmen to open the door!

That was...strange. Bordering unnerving, if he was honest. He'd never been without a servant or several there to see him come home. What could've happened to keep them all inside?

Had...had C.C. gone into labour, perhaps...?! That would at least keep the maids busy, and maybe the footmen had gone for more supplies, or had raced off to find him and bring him home quicker?

No...no, it couldn't be that. As much as he wanted to give the mystery a reasonable explanation (it would certainly be fortunate that Potts was with them, if it were true!), he had to concede that C.C. wasn't due so early. And even if she was, they hadn't passed by anybody on the road. They wouldn't have missed a messenger rushing back towards the city. Nor, in fact, would it mean that every single one of them had to go...

And yet, it appeared as though they had, when the carriage finally pulled up outside the front entrance to the lodge. Niles ended up opening the door himself and climbing out, taking a look around at the exterior.

And the longer he looked, the more worried he became. Not only did the place appear deserted outside, but it sounded it as well. There were no voices coming from the yard, no sounds of anybody chopping wood for the fires, no shrill creak of metal as one of the maids gathered water from the well...

Everything was just...silent. Like there wasn't a soul left in the place...

Not even his beloved wife, whom he'd been keeping waiting for all this time...

It wasn't surprising how quickly worry could become dread. Niles didn't even notice it as he called out, checking one last time, just in case.

"Hello...? Is anybody here?"

Only the wind rustling leaves in the trees met his call. And the careful-but-uneven footsteps coming from the carriage, as Potts climbed out, before helping Margaret down as well.

Niles immediately went to go help him do that, even if part of him was starting to wonder if they both shouldn't just get back in the carriage and stay there, until he'd found someone else present in the house.

Until he'd found C.C., and she'd explained to him why the place was so quiet. She had to know.

She had to be there, staying just as silent as everybody else, and she had to know.

But before he could even politely suggest to his friends that they stayed with the carriage driver for the time being, his sister-in-law had already started walking towards the house, a curious expression on her face.

"The door is open..."

Niles looked, nearly starting to discover that she was correct – a gap practically the width of a hair could just about be seen between the door and its frame, leading into what appeared to be an unlit hallway.

A hallway that was usually lit...for a door that was never kept open...

Oh God, had they been robbed?!

No wonder everybody was inside, if so! They were probably tending to the injured, trying to piece together what they could, or cleaning up the wreckage if there had been a fight!

What...what if C.C. had tried to fight...? What if she'd taken it upon herself as lady of the manor, and had stood up to the brigands?! What if she was injured, and everybody had stopped to tend to her?!

The very thought caused his entire body to leap into action, springing like a lion on an unsuspecting antelope. He had to get inside, and fast!

Rushing past a slightly confused and worried Potts and then Margaret, who was still on her way to the door, he cried out, "C.C., I'm coming!"

He burst his way through the door, only to nearly immediately trip and impale himself on a freestanding candleholder that had been knocked to the floor, blowing out the candles and spattering the stones with wax as it did.

Well, that explained the lack of light in there...

But it didn't explain why he still couldn't hear anything - not a voice, or a set of footsteps, nothing!

"Hello...?!" he called out again, the terror starting to rise in his voice as his heart crawled up his throat. "C.C.? C.C., are you here? Is anybody here?!"

It was too much for him when he was once more met with nothing. He flew forward, shoving his way through the doors into the next room...

Only to stop, cold, as he took in the sight.

It was...it was some of the servants...people he'd known for years, known their names and their faces, their likes and dislikes, what made them happy or sad...all dead. Strewn about the room, bodies hanging like limp, torn-apart dolls, stained in blood which Niles feared to think was not only theirs, but also half everybody else's, as they pulled and clawed at each other in terror when...when whomever had come had left them to die...

It made him sick to think about. Sick to look at. He had to turn away, and immediately bumped into Potts, whose jaw dropped at the sight of the massacre.

"Oh, dear God! What happened in here?!"

"I don't know," Niles replied quickly. "But we have to look for survivors, right now!"

Potts nodded immediately, and tried to usher Margaret back out before she saw, but it was too late. She covered her mouth in horror, words of utter shock and despair slightly muffled, "Oh sweet mother of God...!"

Niles and Potts pulled her swiftly from the room. They had to find out what had happened – they had to find C.C.! She...she couldn't be...

No, he wouldn't even think of it! She was alive; she had to be! She was just hiding, somewhere in the house. She'd come out when she heard it was him speaking – she knew his voice, she'd trust it wasn't a trick!

They'd be able to get her out of there, move her somewhere else – to France, to the court of the king, where she'd stay until everything was over! They'd find out who did this, and they'd be brought to justice!

He told himself that over and over again, repeating it like a mantra between prayers that he would find her. But as he, the doctor and Margaret searched all over the house, all they turned up was more dead footmen, maids, even the cooks...

The doctor didn't even have to confirm it, their wounds were so terrible. None had been spared. Not even as they came to the last room – his and C.C.'s bedroom, where they found the butler, Laurens, slumped on the floor. C.C. was nowhere in the house, and Niles felt like he was losing his mind and being torn apart all at once.

Who could've done such a thing?! Who had found out that she was even there?! Had someone found out, or had it been a chance raid carried out by blackguards who now wanted a ransom?!

He'd pay it on the spot, obviously, but then he'd have all their heads on spikes! They thought they could take his beloved, keep her prisoner, and then waltz off with bags of gold for the pleasure?!

They were wrong. He'd find them, whoever they were; he'd hunt them down and tear them apart, like a wild dog slaughtered rabbits! Not one would be spared!

They hadn't given a thought to the people they hadn't spared. To the innocent woman and unborn child they could be hurting, right that insta...

He trailed off in his mind's threatening. Something had caught his eye on the nearest table. Something familiar. He stepped closer, peering at the...small piece of jewellery there...

It was his father's signet ring! The one Niles himself had given him to celebrate his fiftieth year...

Niles' eyes widened, and suddenly he understood.

He hadn't kept it with him, after the king's birthday. The ring wouldn't be there, unless his father had been. This was no chance robbery, committed by desperate or degenerate thieves.

This had been planned...planned to the highest degree, by his own father!

His father. His father had found them – found out everything, most likely. Someone had betrayed them, and in turn his father had betrayed him.

He...he could absolutely believe it. But after so many years of Joseph claiming that he'd loved his son, he hadn't wanted to think it would end in something like this! He'd been so convinced he could keep them safe...

But he'd underestimated his father's determination to control his life. He'd stormed his way into his home, massacred his servants...taken away his wife and child...

And it wasn't only dread that suddenly found its way through Niles' blood. It was heat. The unmistakable kind that told of overwhelming anger, starting to boil until it turned everything in his veins to steam. A red mist, just like the one that was descending over his vision.

His father – his own bastard of a father – had ordered his men to invade his home, murder his servants, and kidnap his pregnant wife! And then he'd had the nerve and gall to leave a token, so that Niles knew exactly who had done it!

He'd hated C.C. so much, he'd had her kidnapped?! Taken away to God only knew where, probably to suffer?! To...to meet worse than that?! To make sure that the baby met worse than that?! All for the fact that she had married his son and was carrying his grandchild?!

Because, of course, he knew now, didn't he? He had to. And Niles would kill whoever had told him in cold blood – that wasn't even an idle threat, that was a promise. He'd see everybody who was keeping his wife and unborn child from him suffer. And that included the man who'd left him a clue as though he thought this was some sort of fun mystery game!

Picking up the ring, Niles held it in his fingers for a moment, his breath hitching as he contained anger, terror and unbearable pain all at once.

His father. The man he'd once looked up to, and had been so happy to receive the gift he'd now left behind, to show just what he'd done...

With a wordless cry of rage, Niles hurled the thing at the wall.

It wasn't enough. He wanted more than to see a dented ring with a scratched or smashed gem. He wanted the men who'd carried out this attack swinging from a gallows, as many as it took to end them all. He wanted to look into his father's eyes with the rage of a thousand burning cities and tell him how much he hated him.

But, most of all, he wanted his wife and unborn child back.

A feat which seemed near-impossible, as things currently stood. His father knew exactly where they were, but he'd never tell, would he? That was what he enjoyed – having the power and holding it over others, no matter who those people were.

Not even if one of those people was the son he'd once claimed to love.

This wasn't love, and Niles wasn't going to stand for it anymore!

He was going back to London. He was going to storm into the palace, and he was going to–

"Your Royal Highness! This man is still alive!"

Not for the first time that day, a voice interrupted his (admittedly a lot more murderous than the first) thoughts. Only this time it wasn't Margaret's curiosity that had caught his attention. No, it was an exclamation, coming from Dr Potts. It sounded almost like surprise, coming as he and Margaret knelt over Laurens' body...

He'd...he'd said Laurens was _alive_?

He felt all the anger that had been screwing his face into a snarl suddenly drop, and he rushed forward a few steps.

"Really? Are you sure...?!"

If Laurens was alive, that meant they had a witness to the attack. A witness that might have heard something – the ring had been in this room, so maybe C.C. had been in there as well?! Maybe Laurens had witnessed the whole thing!

If he was alive, and recovered to tell what had happened, he could point them to the exact perpetrators!

Margaret nodded, gesturing to the butler, "We heard him breathing. It's faint, but it's there..."

That was good enough, in Niles' eyes. He wasn't about to waste an opportunity to save at least one person from the horrors that had happened here, and get his family back!

There was only one thing left to do, after that, and only one man in the world that he could think to trust with the butler while he recovered.

"Stay with him, I'll get the driver. We're going back to London right away," the prince told his sister-in-law, before heading for the door. "And we're taking this man with us – Dr Potts, you'll know what to do when we get there!"

After a fair amount of time and some help from the carriage driver, they managed to get Laurens safely and securely into the carriage. It was agreed that Dr Potts and Margaret would go with him, to tend to his wounds with some bandages they managed to salvage from one of the storage room cupboards. The driver had orders to go to Noel and Margaret's home, so the king would not suspect anything was amiss.

They'd be able to look after Laurens, while Niles attended to his own matters.

He rode on ahead of the others, taking one of the horses from the lodge stable to get there more quickly. He needed to get to the city, fast, and he wasn't going to be slowed by having to keep to the roads and confines of a carriage!

He had a bone to pick with his father, and he wasn't going to delay it more than he needed to.

If that bastard thought he'd simply let him take the most precious thing in his life, then he was wrong.

_Very_ wrong.

* * *

Marie knew something was wrong from the moment she spotted her son rushing up the palace's courtyard and jumping off his horse. Thunder had gripped his features, and black clouds seemed to loom overhead.

Something had to be wrong with C.C. and the baby – there was no other reason why he'd be back when he'd already informed Marie of his plans to remain with C.C. until the child was born. And it was unlikely that there would be anything wrong naturally. C.C. had been seen to regularly by Dr Potts and her pregnancy was progressing well, by all given accounts.

No, whatever had happened had been _caused_. She could sense it, like a disturbing energy that interrupted the peaceful flow of ordinary life.

And her suspicions pointed like a talisman, right in the direction of her husband. He was normally the source of disruption to peace in the palace, so it was only right that her immediate misgivings fell on him.

She couldn't remember a time when Joseph hadn't caused someone trouble, in some form or another. Only this time, it somehow felt more serious than that – she didn't remember the last time Niles had looked so angry!

She had to find out what was going on, as quickly as she could.

Fortunately for her, the servants weren't the only ones who knew how to use the palace's hidden corridors and back passages. They'd get her there far quicker than taking the longer route, and she might get to stay and take in things that her husband or son would most probably demand that she left before she heard.

She wasn't going to be told what to do that way. This was her palace, and – like some of it or not – her family. She was going to hear everything, if that was what she felt like doing!

So, she slipped into the nearest side door and followed the passage round, knowing it would come out exactly where Joseph was at that moment: his study.

The door was open just a crack – enough to see into the room by. Her husband was at his desk, looking as though he could fall asleep from boredom, with the work he was going through.

But he was started awake enough – as was Marie – when their son burst into the room, an inferno burning in his eyes and his fists curled, like he intended to do something with them.

That was the first time she'd seen Joseph smile in all that time. Not that it appeared to be a smile of warmth for a son returned home.

"Ah, there you are. I trust that you have––"

He never finished what he was about to ask. Their son had thrown his fist at his father's jaw, which landed with a dull thud and nearly, knocked him out of his chair, pushing him back against his desk...

And Niles delivered several more punches, right across his upper torso, throat and face, before he felt his subject might be willing to cooperate.

"Where is my wife?!" he demanded to know, screaming in Joseph's face as he did. He then grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled, so they were less than an inch apart, one being held over his desk by the other. "What the hell did you do?! Where is she?!"

Marie bit her lip to stop herself from crying out loud.

Oh, God, what had Joseph done...! What had happened to C.C. and the baby that warranted violence like this?! What had he done to them?! Were they alright?! She didn't know. She just got the awful, churning feeling of fear as Joseph started to smirk, even when outright laughter earned the king a swift punch in the nose.

"You really don't know, do you...?" he spluttered as he chuckled.

Marie held her breath, hoping and praying with all her heart...

Niles' fists closed around Joseph's shirt so tightly, his knuckles whitened.

"What are you talking about? And be quick about it!"

Joseph lifted himself up to get into Niles' face, blood streaming from his nose, "They are dead already, boy! I had them both killed this morning, while you sat at the council, like a fool! I had the bodies burned, too, so you'd stop with your whining, and so you wouldn't demand a state funeral for a little whore whose only mourners in her rightful life would be the madam whose brothel she kept running and the clients who had been delighted to find the easiest, cheapest fuck in London!"

"You shut your mouth!" Niles shouted, his hands looking like they could easily move towards Joseph's throat. "Don't you dare say that about her, and don't you dare lie to me!"

"Why would I lie, boy?!" Joseph snapped back. "I told you that there would be consequences for running around with that slut, and here they are! She's dead, as is your bastard! Let that be a lesson to you!"

The Queen felt as though she had been slapped across the face and stabbed in the chest, simultaneously.

No...no, not C.C.! Not C.C., and the unborn baby! They'd done nothing wrong! They'd done nothing wrong, and yet Joseph had seen fit to order that they be put to death!

And for what?! Being in love? Being alive?! Nothing they had done was a crime, in the eyes of anybody but the bastard she was married to! The bastard, who had ordered the executions – the murders – of his own daughter-in-law and grandchild!

She could see their faces, even now; C.C., happy and smiling as she bounced a round-faced little blonde toddler on her knees...

Perhaps that was the Good Lord above, granting her a brief a vision of them in the afterlife...?

Marie didn't know. It hurt too much to think. It nearly hurt too much to stand, too, but if she collapsed and fell on the door, she'd be caught in an instant. She had to force herself to stay upright, even as her heart broke in her chest and tears pushed themselves up and out of her eyes...

Marie thought she saw Niles crumble in that moment, too – she could hear wordless verbal whimpers, coming from him.

But the pressure and the build-up of anger, combined with the despair of learning his family had been completely destroyed, only eventually made him shout out and drive his fist more and more into the face of his father.

"No! It! Isn't true! Tell me you're lying, right now!"

Marie shook her head sadly to herself, tears now streaming down her face.

He couldn't tell him he was lying, could he? Because he wasn't.

That evil bastard out there, who had the nerve to act as though his son trying to beat him half to death to avenge the love of his life and unborn child was nothing, was too happy to even pretend. Because he'd gotten what he'd wanted.

Because C.C. was out of the way of his perfect picture of what England should look like as a country, and that meant that he had won.

It didn't matter that he'd committed murder to do it. It didn't matter that he'd ended the life of his own flesh and blood before it had even begun. To him, nothing was more important than his own little world.

The little world where he was not only king, but God. And he was loving that this fantasy plane was coming to life, making his son so miserable in the process that his punches were growing weaker and weaker, until they died away entirely.

Niles staggered backwards from his father, exhausted and now clearly wishing he was as dead as his wife and child.

Joseph picked himself up from the desk, too, gingerly dabbing at the bruises around his eye, the blood coming from his nose and wincing when he caught his split lip as well.

But he still looked directly at their son.

"God, you are pathetic. Whores aren't worth so much as the coin we pay them to suck on our cocks, and yet you weep and wail like a frail old woman over the one who happens to be carrying your most recent bastard? You'll move onto fresher meat within the week, and this nonsense will be done with," he marched forward and shoved Niles back. "Now get out of my sight, and count yourself lucky I'm not having you flogged for laying a hand on me!"

Niles had held his ground instead of simply falling, when Joseph pushed into him. But he was too incensed and overwhelmed by sorrow to say anything – that was obvious to anybody paying attention.

He simply turned and stormed back out the way he'd come.

Joseph didn't return to his desk. He just scoffed and went to the window.

Through her tears, Marie felt herself start to burn beneath her skin.

It was all Joseph's fault. All of it. He'd ended the lives of their perfect daughter-in-law and the first legitimate grandchild they could welcome. He'd alienated their son from him, caused him unbearable pain, and he'd probably put the kingdom in greater danger than ever by denying them a new heir to the throne, to carry on the family line.

And the worst part was, he simply didn't care.

If anybody deserved death, it was him. To bring justice to the people he'd ruined, in so many ways; to reimburse a kingdom that had suffered under his reign...

To avenge the family members who had never gotten to live long, full lives in peace.

And...maybe...who better to carry it out than Marie herself?

She had easy access to do it, and she had nothing more to live for, even if they caught her. If Niles, who would be king by the time it was over, caught her.

She wouldn't beg, or plead for mercy if they found out. She'd simply go to her punishment and then her grave, and maybe be granted another sight of C.C. and the baby, before she was...taken away, to the place where murderers like her would always go.

She'd live – or not, as the case were – with a blackened soul, in exchange for freeing so many people from a cruel, barbarian of a tyrant. All she had to do was plan something believable to convince him to get into a vulnerable position, and then she'd strike.

She feared her own end, and what would come after, obviously. But she would bear it.

Family was worth any price, even eternal damnation.


	28. Chapter 28

_**Chapter 27**_

Silence reigned in the FitzStewart household. Silence and dread.

The children (who hadn't been told about what had happened) had long since been sent out with their nannies while three out of the four remaining adults – Margaret, Noel and a now exhausted Dr Potts – were in the sitting room, nursing lukewarm teacups in their hands. Laurens had been given a room upstairs – weak as he was, he couldn't do anything but rest.

It hadn't been easy, but somehow Potts had managed to save the butler's life. He was still very much in danger – infection had yet to be ruled out – but for now he was hanging in there. His wounds were the stuff of nightmares: both of his legs were broken, so was his left arm, he had two black eyes, a broken nose, several broken ribs, a stab wound to the abdomen, a split lip and there wasn't an inch of skin that wasn't covered in bruises. He'd been lucky that the stab wound wasn't deep and that it hadn't hurt any vital organs – otherwise, he would have most likely bled to death on the spot. Since he'd been wearing numerous layers of clothing on the day of the attack, they had somewhat protected his abdomen when he'd been stabbed.

would take him a long time to recover – probably months, Potts believed – but as long as he was able to tell them what had happened to C.C. and the baby, they'd be satisfied. He'd actually woken up and spoken some when Potts had first started treating him, but he hadn't been able to say more than a few (if vital) words: C.C. was alive. Alive, but in dire need of help.

Laurens had managed to tell them that Joseph had sent her away somewhere until she had her baby, whom he'd sold to her captors. The last thing he'd said before falling back into unconsciousness, was that she was going to be kept alive until the child was born. Then, she was to be executed.

It had left everybody else's minds racing, with nowhere for the thoughts to go. Margaret had tried to explain as best she could to her husband what had happened – she'd seen Niles with some sort of ring in the room where they'd found Laurens, but she hadn't been able to make head nor tail of why he'd thrown it away so violently, or why he had insisted on returning to the palace, rather than coming with them.

Potts could only guess that that had something to do with the prince's father, as so many things often did. The couple hadn't been able to fault that logic, either, especially not with Niles and C.C. having to keep their marriage a secret from the man, simply to preserve their love and their growing family...

But after that one point – that it had something to do with King Joseph – the trail had quickly grown cold. Much like their tea, as they sat and waited with it, all deep in thought and none particularly thirsty.

It was hard to be, after a day such as theirs. And it wasn't even over yet – Niles would have to return at some point, to hear if there was any news, and the hours before would be relived all over again.

In truth, all three people sat around that table were concerned about telling him. They didn't like to be the bearers of bad news, but somehow bringing no news felt even worse.

It felt like swinging on a great pendulum, back and forth between two outcomes, with no idea which one you would find yourself stuck with, in the end. It was frustrating anticipation, and none of them were prepared to tell the man who'd had the worst day of all that there was nothing to make it better yet.

Well, two of them were thinking that. Noel was staring into his cup with the kind of anger that burned hot enough to make the tea warm again. That was, if he didn't accidentally crush the fine-bone china first!

The prince had promised to protect his little sister, no matter what, and yet this had happened! He'd looked them all in the eye and told them that she'd be safe from everyone and everything, and mere months later, he'd let her get kidnapped!

He didn't care if anybody protested at that choice of word. Niles could've done anything to make sure his lodge was protected – more guards, a watchman or several on the road – and yet he'd been lax about it! He could've sent C.C. off to France the minute he'd known she was pregnant, but he hadn't done that, either!

At best, it was a stupid decision. At worst, it was pure selfishness that he had kept her there when he knew damn well that it wasn't safe.

And Noel, right then, didn't see an awful lot of difference between the two.

Had his father been alive, he was certain he'd be disappointed in him – he'd failed C.C.. He'd failed his family, and Noel didn't think he'd be able to live with that. He should have never allowed her to marry the damn prince. He should have taken her away from that damn palace the very first moment she'd showed up at his door on the arm of that arsehole!

He'd known that his sister's union with the prince would spell trouble for her, but instead of actually telling her, he'd stayed quiet, like a lily-livered coward! He'd failed her as a brother, and she was paying the price.

Noel had to shut his eyes tightly – he didn't want to think about what those bastards could be doing to her right then! Still, the images kept coming, like tidal waves, hitting him with growing strength and making him feel like he was being dragged into the depths of a pitch black ocean.

"Sweetheart are you alright?"

His wife's worried voice brought him out of his dark thoughts with staggering speed. Unfortunately, they were replaced with others. Different ones, despite the kindness and love she was using to keep him together.

He appreciated it, but what could he possibly tell her? No, he wasn't alright, and here was a list of possible violations being carried out right then on his sister that made him not alright? Or how about no, and it was all his fault for not stopping C.C. from becoming the legal plaything of a prince who'd clearly loved himself more than he had his wife?!

He should've known that would be the case. Prince Niles had been famous for using women, before he'd married C.C., and his tendency to put himself before them had clearly carried over! He might not have been sleeping around with whores left, right and centre (as far as Noel knew, anyway, even if this did make him have his doubts), but this proved that he didn't love her like he'd said he did.

It made Noel wonder a small amount if the prince had actually loved her at all, and not just thought her some fanciful novelty that would end in his bed, like things always did.

He regretted ever attending their wedding, that was for certain. He'd never have given his blessing if he'd known that Niles wouldn't keep to even the most basic of the vows that he'd made...!

But he couldn't vent all of this to Margaret. She had enough of her own worries, as it was, and he didn't think it would be right of him to push all of his feelings onto her. Especially not when they were so angry, they could become hostile.

He wanted to save all of that for when the prince arrived.

He could easily complete the job that he'd nearly carried out on the cad before, now...

"As much as I can be, my love," he replied to his wife. "There is no need to concern yourself..."

Not with things that didn't have to concern her, anyway. Not this time, when she would already be too nervous to do much except pace if she didn't have a tea in her hand.

Noel could handle the responsibility by himself. Margaret either knew this, too, or she had simply chosen to accept it, so she left it at that once she'd gotten an answer.

In truth, she was still quietly wondering why her husband had gone so silent, and why he'd dismissed her question so quickly; even in his gentle insistence that he was fine, there was an underlying something to his entire form that made her worry. But she couldn't tell what that was, and over the next few minutes, she tried to puzzle it out.

She was still muddling it over, occasionally engaging in short chat with the doctor while her husband continued to sit silently, when they heard the front door of the shop bang open and closed, before heavy footsteps dragged across the floorboards into the back of the building.

Niles had arrived at last.

He shuffled into the room, looking every inch a man who'd been beaten down by life, before being beaten several inches below the ground for good measure. He looked like he was in mourning – his entire frame appeared to be sinking into some shadowy pit from whence it could never return, and his whole body position and facial expression suggested he was tense, like he was holding in a scream that he longed to be able to release into the wide, open world.

But how could he not look that way, when his pregnant wife was somewhere out there, frightened and possibly hurt, and he had barely an idea of where to start looking for her? Margaret could see the excruciating pain that he must've been in, and it broke her heart to not be able to put a complete end to it.

She was going to get up, go to him, and start to try to explain that Laurens had spoken a bit (to try and soften the blow and offer hope), but a flash of colourful clothing dashed past and made it to him before she could.

Noel snarled directly into the prince's face the moment he was within a good distance, "You've got some nerve, showing yourself here, after what you've done!"

Margaret's jaw immediately dropped, "Noel! What is the meaning of this?!"

How could her husband do such a thing?! The poor man had already been through the most terrible experience imaginable, and yet here he was, berating him as though it were his fault?! What kind of a person did that, when they already knew what he had been through?!

"You don't have to get involved, Margaret," Noel warned her over his shoulder, before turning back to the prince with a scowl. "I'm taking care of this, once and for all! Just like I should've done back before C.C. married him!"

Margaret had the terrible realisation then that this was what had been keeping her husband so silent before. This burning resentment that had clearly been building inside was now coming to the surface again!

And that was what shocked the most – that it simply had been below the surface. She'd known he'd hated Niles at the start, but when they'd seen that he truly loved Noel's sister, that had looked like it had all gone away!

Noel hadn't felt the need to be the protective big brother anymore. Or, it hadn't looked like he had...

She could only stand and watch, horrified, as her husband verbally laid into the prince again.

"This is all your doing," he spat at Niles. "If it weren't for you, my sister would be here, right now, and everything would be right with the world! But you had to go and be selfish about it, didn't you?! You left her by herself and now, look what you've done!"

Niles was too miserable to even argue with him. He knew that Noel was right. If it weren't for him, everything would be alright with the world. C.C. would still be in it; living and laughing and loving the right person – a man who could protect her, and keep her in the life that she deserved. Just as he had failed to do. He'd been selfish to keep her at his lodge, rather than send her somewhere more secure, and now she had paid the price for it!

Her and their unborn baby. They'd barely gotten to start a life together, and yet hers had already come to an end! And every little stupid decision that he'd made had led up to it all happening!

His love. His family. He'd ended them both, without even realising. How could he be such a stupid, useless, selfish bastard, who didn't think of the consequences of his actions?!

He'd thought he was past that stage of his life. But he'd clearly been wrong.

And he could only burst into tears as a reply to Noel's vicious but correct words.

He never should've even come! Not to stay for any length of time, anyway. All he was doing was hurting a family – C.C.'s _real_ family – that could be left to grieve with a simple message, and not the presence of the man who'd doomed her...!

If it weren't for him, they'd all be living the happiest lives they could, together, and he had torn that apart...just as everything was tearing him apart, right now. It was a fitting punishment, for what he'd done. He could only hope his beloved could forgive him, wherever she and their baby were.

Even if he didn't deserve it.

"I'm...I'm sorry-y-y!" he sobbed, unable to contain himself. He had to get it all out. "I did everything – I swear, I tried! I could've killed my father when...when I returned to the palace! I grabbed him! I punched him, several times! I would've beaten him to death, if he hadn't told me...if he hadn't told me C.C. and the baby were dead...!"

Noel hadn't been intending to listen intently (he'd have preferred to let it all fall on deaf ears), but he soon hadn't been able to help himself.

And something stuck out.

King Joseph had told his son that C.C. and the baby were dead...?! That wasn't what Laurens had seemed to suggest, in the moment he'd been awake and lucid – he'd said she'd been sent away somewhere!

Laurens had no reason to lie. He'd only been doing his job when the killing had started, and he'd gotten caught up in the moment C.C. had been captured. But Joseph had _every_ reason in the world to lie; especially if he wanted his son to stop looking for the wife he had married in secret...

Noel thought he could fall down at that moment, feeling like he was dropping out of the air even as he thought. It was a lie – all of it! And therein was contained the real evil, behind this entire plot!

It took a special sort of monster to lie about murder, simply so somebody who was alive would never be found! And what a monster that made King Joseph! Lying to his only son, simply to get his own way?! How cruel, selfish and barbaric could one person possibly be?!

Noel imagined the faces of his own children then. He'd never even dream of lying to them, about anything! He didn't see how one man who could claim to love his son would do the complete opposite by not telling him the truth!

He couldn't do it. He just couldn't!

But even if Joseph's words had been completely and utterly evil, it had been Noel's that had pushed Niles over the edge.

Noel felt his own heart sinking into his stomach, his skin burning with the shame of knowing what he'd done. He'd been an embarrassment, to his sister and to himself, with his overprotectiveness. He'd been far too harsh on Niles; he realised that now, just when it was too late.

How had he not seen it before? The prince was clearly completely distraught; the jeweller didn't think he'd ever seen someone cry so hard in all his years, and it only got worse as the man sank to his knees before he fell entirely to the floor! It told of utter heartbreak, fear beyond words, unimaginable pain...

Things he'd thought Niles didn't really feel – couldn't really feel, over losing C.C. like this, but it was now becoming obvious that he'd been wrong.

He didn't even know how he'd begin to make up for it, either. What could he possibly do? There weren't any words that could make this better, were there? All he could probably try to do was calm the prince down, and even that felt like something of a cop out.

But he couldn't just leave him there on the ground either, could he? Nothing would be made better at all if he stayed there. Perhaps some...comforting words? That had to help encourage him off the floor, didn't it?

He tried crouching down and reaching out to pat awkwardly at Niles' shoulder.

"Oh...Your Royal Highness...it's...it's alright..."

"Of course it isn't, you daft prat! Out of the way," Margaret interjected, shoving Noel away from the prince. "Come, sir, sit down. Let us offer you a cup of tea…"

Niles wanted to say no. To refuse their kindness and run away in shame, probably somewhere where he couldn't hurt anyone anymore. He'd failed the two most important people in his life and, by extension, to these good people – people who had welcomed him in their home and into their family with open arms.

He was unworthy of them. He was unworthy of life.

But, frail as he was, he couldn't really deny Margaret, nor did he resist when she gently walked him to the nearest flat surface – a sofa – on which he could sit. Actually, it was more like collapse. A steaming teacup was soon in his hands, and his sister-in-law was sat at his side, gently rubbing his back as he continued to sob his eyes out.

"It's alright, brother dear, it's alright," she said in a soothing, motherly voice – the type of voice his own mother would always use to console him whenever he got hurt, back when he'd been little.

Not that it was helping – no amount of kind words would ease the searing pain that the loss of his wife and child had caused. No amount of kind words would ever lessen the guilt that now weighed down on him. No amount of kind words would make life have meaning again.

He was done. There was nothing to look forward to; no dream family to go to at night, no loving wife to have and to hold, no warm, happy home to build alongside the love of his life. It had all been taken away – ripped from his breast with ruthless indifference by a tyrant who he'd once thought a god among men.

He'd been nothing but a blind fool. A blind, stupid, unreliable fool, and his wife and child had paid the price for it.

If only it had been him, instead. He would've insisted – begged – that the brutes who'd done the deed had taken him in place of her! He didn't care if he was the heir, he would've made them do it!

Anything, to keep his love and their precious little one alive.

He would've seen that they were quick about it, or else threatened his own life if they even thought about so much as touching C.C.. They would've either obeyed, or he would've been dead. His father – the bastard who had done this, as he would forever be known – would've had to find somebody else to take the throne after him.

Ironically, he might've had to accept the baby then...

It hurt too much to think about. It was a better future, in his mind – one where C.C. had lived, even as his widow, and their child had grown to become the next monarch. A king or queen raised by a beautiful and kind princess, who had never gotten to sit on the throne that would've been rightfully hers...

He would've watched over them, instead of them over him, and he would've blessed their daily lives whenever possible. Even...even going so far as to bless a marriage, if C.C. eventually met some tall, handsome, powerful nobleman, who could make her happy and treat their child as though it were his own.

He would not wish her to be alone, as he was. And would always be.

"It's not alright..." he shook his head, managing to get that out, even though it hurt his chest to try and speak. "I've lost everything...! My wife...my child...oh, God...!"

The pain had grown so much that he could only dissolve into a fresh round of tears.

It shattered Margaret's heart to see him in such a state – especially when she knew it was a lie that had gotten him to think such a terrible thing in the first place! They all knew that Joseph would say any awful, evil thing he could to keep his son from being happy with the woman he loved, but it only seemed to be Niles who hadn't realised that it was a lie!

How horrible had his father been to him, when he'd told him?! How malicious and nasty could the words have been said that the prince had believed them straight away, without any evidence to the contrary?!

The entire kingdom knew that Joseph was a cruel, vindictive man, but what had he done before that had been so vicious – to his _only_ son – that the murder of a pregnant woman could be considered real without a doubt?

Margaret hoped she'd never have to find out, otherwise she thought she might storm up to the palace and give the king a beating! She knew all these years that she'd been living under a tyrant, but seeing the man's son – her brother-in-law, who loved his wife so very much – utterly destroyed by his untrue words made her blood boil hotter than the water she'd used to prepare the tea!

But she couldn't let her feelings get the better of her. Not when she could relieve the prince's suffering, long before she'd ever manage to cause the king any whatsoever.

She hesitated, before reaching out to gently lay a hand on his arm.

"Your Royal Highness, there is no need to despair!"

Niles obviously heard her words, because he looked up with tear-stricken eyes and an expression that shouted from the rooftops that he not only didn't believe her, but that he was also angry that she'd said such a thing.

"How can I not despair?! My wife and child were murdered and I couldn't stop it!"

He nearly didn't finish his words, the pain hurt so badly in his chest. It was as though his heart had not only shattered, but burst too, and now the shards were ripping through him like arrowheads in the most dreadful combat he'd ever seen...

He wished it would kill him. He wanted to end it all, right then and there, so that he wouldn't have to suffer without his family. England could go hang, without his beloved or their little one there beside him – none of it was worth it; not the crown, nor the power, nor the people...

Especially not some of the people. Men he'd see dead, for what they had done to her! Done to the baby, who'd yet to even see an hour of life!

He'd find them all. And the warrants for their executions were already signed when–

"Your wife is not dead, sir!" Margaret's voice cut clear across his vow, desperate but comforting, too. "She has merely been taken away and is being held captive!"

The shock of the statement was enough to get Niles to stop crying, but it didn't mean that he believed it. How could he? His own father had said what he'd done! It was obvious to anybody and everybody how much he'd always hated C.C., so why wouldn't he just get rid of her when he'd had the chance?! Letting her live for longer than necessary wasn't like his father at all.

But...where would Margaret have gotten the information about C.C. being held captive in the first place? There hadn't been any clues at the lodge, that suggested anybody was heading in any particular direction!

He sniffed, and used the opportunity to wipe at his eyes, moving his arm out of her hand's reach, "How do you know? My father told me in person, while I was beating it out of him – how did you get your information?!"

"Laurens woke up," Margaret replied immediately. "Briefly, anyway. We heard him say that C.C. had been taken to a noble house somewhere against her will! They plan to keep her alive until she gives birth, because the child has been sold to the family who lives there. Then, she will be executed. He could not say where they lived, or who they were before falling unconscious again, but we he important thing is that your wife is alive right now, and so is your child!"

If it were possible to feel like one had been running, only for a brick wall to suddenly materialise and cause you to slam right into it, that was how Niles felt on hearing her words.

Laurens...he'd managed to tell them, in a short spell when he had been awake?!

The prince's eyes snapped to the doctor, demanding clarification and confirmation without speaking the words.

Potts nodded earnestly, "It is true, Your Royal Highness...! He was conscious for a short period of time, in which he managed to tell us what Mrs FitzStewart has already explained. Your lady wife is alive and your child will be as well."

Niles didn't even feel it, as he dropped his cup of tea on the floor. Nor did he hear his own cry of bewildered relief, mixed with fear at the thought of his wife living on time dictated by her pregnancy and the rage of his own father lying to him.

Lying to him, as though he thought he'd forget all about his love the moment he'd thought she was dead, when she was truly alive and living on time borrowed before she was executed!

As though he'd move on and never hurt or think about her or their baby – the baby that Joseph had sold as though it were some common trinket, not a living, breathing little miracle! Not his own grandchild!

If it were up to Niles, the only person who would never be remembered by history would be the man who'd carried it all out in the first place! He'd see to it that his father was erased, the minute it was possible!

All he could feel after that mental declaration was a strange relief in his chest, like the pieces of his heart no longer tearing through him but starting to tentatively make their way back to where they belonged. It wasn't joy – he wouldn't feel that yet, but it was a thousand times better than unending and unimaginable pain.

And all he could hear was the echo in his head, ringing louder and louder until it consumed every other thought, making him dizzy as it did.

_His wife was alive, their baby was alive, his wife was alive, their baby was alive..._

They were alive. They were not gone from him completely, and he could get them back! He could have his family, just as he wanted, whole and happy and complete, and he'd curse his father into his own grave with retaliation over the lie that he'd told him!

He'd show Joseph that he hadn't won. He'd get C.C. back – he'd send out every man he had looking, day and night, until they found her! He didn't care how many hours it took, it would happen before the baby was born!

As much as he didn't want to think it, he had to face the fact. They were on a time limit, just as Laurens had warned them. She'd have outlived her use (in those monsters' eyes) as soon as the baby was born, and there would be no other option but to get rid of her!

Time was running like an hourglass that had just been turned over, and the grains of sand were running fast.

He leapt up from his seat, not knowing what to say, do or where to begin. He was almost sure he wanted to burst into tears again, relief washing over his entire being.

His love was alive. She wasn't alright, but she was alive, and that was more than he had been able to hope for before. Now that he knew, he could find out wherever she was and get her back.

They had to start looking right away, if they had a hope of finding her before it was too late! The baby wasn't long due, and the days would go by faster than he wanted them to, whether he liked it or not.

He had to get to her, before the baby came. It was the only way to get his family back – to stop his wife's murder and their baby being sold!

The mere idea was sickening. It was beyond wicked, and part of Niles still struggled to believe that his own father had been capable of doing something like that. Another, much more sensible part, though, wasn't in the least bit surprised. His father was ruthless – he was willing to do anything and everything, if it meant getting what he wanted. It was just that he'd never imagined, not even for one second, that he would ever attempt against his own son's happiness.

Clearly, his father was more of a stranger to him that he'd previously thought.

Maybe…maybe he'd never really known him.

That was a depressing thought to have. He'd never thought he'd have to choose between his father and his own family. Still, the choice was clear, and Niles would gladly cast his father out rather than spend one single second away from his wife and child.

He had to get moving on a plan of action, and the first step would be to ask around as much as possible. He'd do it as subtly as possible, too, by sending out messengers, pages, friends, mercenaries – anybody he could pay to get the job done, or trust to give back what he needed, without asking questions – to get him whatever scraps of information they could pick up. He'd ask around the court and the council, too, to get a picture of exactly who his father had been seen talking to most recently.

If he could get some names, he could draw up a list of suspects.

And then he'd send as many men as he could get to go and search their homes.

It probably sounded easier like that than it would be in real life, but he was past the point of caring about what was easiest. He was getting his family back, one way or another, and he wasn't going to let any little complications stop him from doing that!

It was, at least, the beginnings of a plan. But he had to return to the palace if he was ever going to get started. So, bidding his remorseful brother-in-law and encouraging sister-in-law farewell, he and Potts began to make their way back to the palace.

He intended to tell the doctor everything on the way, of course.

After all, he was going to need at least one person at court that he could rely on to keep this rescue mission a secret.

* * *

Joseph knew that he was going to be bruised when he woke up in the morning, and the cut on his lip might sting for a while, but it would all be worth it in the end. He'd had worse war wounds and battle scars than what Niles had inflicted – if anything, he'd had worse injuries from whores at the brothels, when they'd gotten overexcited!

The boy had gotten soft. Probably because of that pregnant slut, too. She'd certainly managed to turn everything else upside down around the palace; it would only be making an educated guess that she'd worked her whore's black magic there, as well.

It was better that he thought she was dead. He wouldn't go looking for her, that way. The girl would have that little bastard, who'd go to a good, decent family, and then she'd disappear off the face of the Earth.

Just thinking about how his plan was going perfectly had given him enough peace of mind to continue working, but it wasn't long before he was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Trying not to sigh aloud in too much frustration, he put down his quill and turned in his chair, "Enter."

It was Marie who entered, which nearly made Joseph roll his eyes. He should've known that she'd come running as soon as she'd heard what'd happened! Niles had probably told her everything, and now she was there to scream at him to do something – to tell the truth, to get the girl back to court, to make up with his son, as though Joseph had done anything wrong whatsoever...!

He wasn't going to back down, though. He knew he had done the right thing, no matter what his wife thought of some stupid little whore who could've had it easy, if she'd just known her place.

It might've even been _his_ bastard that she'd be carrying by now, if she'd done that. Not that he would've let her keep it there – they'd have both been out on the street before you could say "FitzRoy", at best, or she'd have been made to "deal with the problem" at worst.

Either way, he was more than prepared to stand his ground against Marie.

"What do you want? Have you come to tell me what a terrible excuse for a man I am, before demanding that I permit my son to flaunt his whore at court?"

He'd expected her to spit an insult back at him for referring to the Babcock girl in such a manner. After all, that slut had been her favourite lady-in-waiting, and was now her so-called "daughter-in-law". She might have been angry at her before, but marriage between the little slut and Niles had to have turned the tide on that little fact, didn't it? Them being legally declared man and wife could only have magically restored the girl's honour, thereby allowing her back into Marie's affections.

Marie had probably been in on the whole conspiracy to get them paired off from the start anyway, in the hopes of preventing the girl from being used as the prime venison she was – Marie had been so dead set on the two of them being able to spend time together, "getting to know" one another, as though men and women could ever be friends!

Women weren't for friendship, and love was...well, whatever it was, it wasn't important to the conversation! If he had to say such a thing to his wife, he would've expected her to start cursing, and shouting and berating him for everything that had gone on.

But what he got as he waited for her answer was...the complete opposite?

Instead, Marie offered him a smile as she came in, hands folded meekly in front of her, but her hips swaying some, from side to side.

"Why on Earzh would I do zhat, mon amour?" she purred, starting to grin. "I came 'ere because I...oh, mon Dieu!"

Her face fell drastically in that moment (in the same time it took for Joseph to become confused at the term of endearment), and she rushed to his side, clutching at his arm with one hand, all the while gingerly touching his face with the other.

"What did zhat eediotic boy do to you?!" she cried out, though it was more like gushing, and practically turned into gushing when she half-climbed into his lap and started planting butterfly kisses along his cheeks. "Oh, my poor, brave 'usband...!"

Even with her breasts almost directly in his face (which he enjoyed and appreciated very much), Joseph still couldn't believe what he was seeing or hearing.

What the Devil had come over her?! Why was she being like this? Hadn't she come to lecture him for making their son cry? She wouldn't be on his side for such a thing! She certainly never had been in the past!

...Wouldn't she? She was being awfully attentive, and was prattling on about how they had to get his wounds seen to by Potts as soon as possible. What…what on Earth was going on?! His wife usually barely tolerated his face, let alone wanted to kiss it and caress it as though it belonged to a lover!

Had…had she hit her head? Was she delirious? Was she sick or mentally unwell?

"What are you doing, woman?" he snapped. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"What eez zhe meaning of what, my love?" she replied, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Can't a wife be concerned for 'er 'usband?"

Joseph scowled, "In your case, the answer would most definitely be "no"! Now, I won't ask again – just what do you think you are playing at?!"

He wasn't going to stand for any...unusual behaviour, especially when he knew that it meant something was amiss! And that wasn't simply the fact that Marie wasn't shoving those magnificent breasts of hers into his face and staying there for as long as he liked, either! Even if that was something that was slightly amiss, it wasn't something he was going to question – he was annoyed, but he wasn't blind! Any hot-blooded male would understand, and expect him to mount first, ask questions later (if he even cared about them by the end of it!).

There were so many strange occurrences happening recently, it made Joseph wonder of anybody in the palace ever paid attention to the things that he regularly ordered them to do!

But, again, that was a thought for another time. He was still waiting on the answer that Marie had yet to give, because she was still going around planting kisses on his cheek, and had moved her hand down to start massaging his chest a little bit over his shirt.

She was smiling, too – openly and teasingly, like she had surprises in store that only she would know about...

"Why, mon amour, I am 'ere to congratulate you on such a masterful up'olding of what eez only right and fair. Getting rid of..._zhat girl_ like zhat? Eet was a stroke of absolute genius!"

Joseph scoffed – "that girl"? Was Marie still upset with her? Why would she be, though? The girl had gone and married Niles; she'd made him give up the life a young stallion and practically castrated him, which was what Marie had wanted all along. And that kind of baited trap – the promise of a fine young filly opening her legs – was one Niles would have fallen into, genitals first. But marriage – the thing that had ultimately doomed his son, like it did all men eventually – had also been the perfect thing to raise the girl in Marie's esteem. It had been all she'd needed to be back in her favour, and knowing his wife, Joseph was certain Marie had forgiven the Babcock slut's past misgivings the moment she'd seen a ring on her finger. She was soft like that…

She forgave too easily, and had a soft spot for young love, if such thing existed. Typical of the French, of course, but he'd have imagined that after a lifetime in England, it would have toned down a little.

"You aren't fooling anyone, woman," he spat, pushing Marie off his lap and onto the ground. "You are waiting your time – you could offer yourself on a silver plate, and I'd still never tell you what happened to that little slut of yours."

"And whoever said I wanted to know what 'appened to 'er?" she replied, smiling wickedly at him from her position on the floor. "As a matter of fact, I couldn't be 'appier zhat she eez gone for good!"

Joseph halted in his tracks. He'd been about to return to his work and commence in ignoring Marie until she'd figured out that she wasn't going to get anywhere, but he couldn't help listening to what she'd just said. She sounded so...earnest...so insistent and...and _truthful_? There was a hint in her tone like she was relieved – was it the relief of a woman who had been holding what she really felt in for too long?

"Really?" he asked, doubt still permeating his tone but not as sure anymore that they weren't, in fact, on the same side. "You are pleased about the death of your once favourite lady-in-waiting, whom you once took everywhere with you? The one you favoured far above anyone else from the moment she arrived at the palace? The woman for whom you accepted being used as a slut over and over, only to give her and our son some "alone time"? The one woman who became your daughter-in-law, thus "curing" our boy of the life you hated him having? And who was carrying...well, a bastard, but a bastard of your flesh and blood?"

He wanted to see her try to answer that. If she was lying, it should surely be impossible – he knew Marie; she'd never celebrate a death of someone she loved, no matter how much she tried to present otherwise!

She was just as soft as their boy, if not softer. He'd had a disadvantage from the start, with her as a mother. The weakness had clearly been inherited, on some level, and it was all being brought out now. But there wasn't going to be any need for worry. Now that Niles thought his slut was dead, he might toughen up a bit and they wouldn't end up with the weakest king they'd had since the days of John Lackland.

It would teach him to be stronger than his mother, at any rate. She had gotten up from the floor and was trying to curl herself up in his lap as best she could, small as a cat and weepy as a child, even as she tried to explain.

"Absolutely not! I...I did like 'er, at first. In zhe beginning, before everyzhing began to 'appen. She was a nice girl; good breeding, manners, education...perfect! I 'ad imagined zhat zhem bonding would teach Niles 'ow to be a decent man...! A proper gentleman and a good 'usband for 'is future wife. I admit zhat, at one point, I did also consider 'er to be an excellent marriage candidate for our son – 'e was so smitten! And 'e looked so 'appy… I zhought she was zhe one…" she said and shook her head, suddenly looking ashamed or...angry? "But I was wrong about 'er. She eez no wife material for any man! She eez nozhing but a slut 'oo willingly gave away whatever honour she 'ad, long before she married Niles! I confess, I do feel sorry for zhe child; even eef eet eez a bastard, eet 'ad no say een zhe conception. But Niles can have more children een zhe future. Wizh a proper, upstanding wife zhis time. Not even marriage can erase zhe Babcock slut's sin, no matter what anyone zhinks!"

Joseph's eyes shot down to meet here's, brow furrowing, "It...it can't?"

He'd been so sure that Marie would have forgiven the girl for having slept with Niles the moment she'd learned the two had gotten married! But...well, it seemed as though he had been wrong, too. It seemed Marie was ruling herself out of being a conspirator, behind this infuriating elopement happening in the first place!

His wife shook her head to answer his question. She even looked as though she was tearing up.

"She showed 'er true colours een zhat moment! She 'ad been nozhing but scum off zhe street for all zhat time, and she was using an innocent, angelic face and voice to worm 'er way eento my confidence! I should 'ave seen zhrough zhat little act, but..." she dropped her gaze away from his, overcome by sadness and anger and shame. "Eet was too late by zhat point. 'E came to me not long after, to say zhat zhey...zhat zhey 'ad gotten married,"

Joseph felt a burst of anger shoot through him. So, Marie _had_ known about it all along – she'd been a co-conspirator behind his back! His own wife had tried to keep a secret from him about their only son, when the reputation and status of the whole kingdom was at stake!

"You traitorous conspirator! You knew about their marriage all along and you kept it from me?!"

Marie looked up at him desperately, her eyes tearing over.

"Yes, I knew! But I am no conspirator of any kind; I swear I was going to tell you! I told Niles I would – I told 'im zhat eet wasn't right! I told 'im...! I said zhat I would tell you eef 'e continued on like zhis, but 'e zhreatened...! 'E said 'e would kill 'imself, and C.C., eef I even tried! So I stayed quiet, so I would not lose my only son! But I knew zhat as soon as zhe baby was born, nozhing could be done, and I was so scared and wanted to ask for your 'elp, but I...I was just...overcome!"

She threw her head down onto Joseph's chest after that, weeping out of bitter regret and anger that she had not done anything sooner. Not that the king had anything to say about that.

His anger was starting to fade away – shouting had released the frustration, and the rest was being quickly overtaken by Marie's explanation.

It wasn't completely gone yet, though, even if it had cooled off some. He completely agreed that she should be disappointed with herself for letting their son manipulate her in such a fashion! Niles wouldn't ever kill himself – he knew he was too important for that – and yet Marie had believed him!

Joseph was disgusted with Niles for having taken advantage of his mother's weakness like that. He could feel his anger turning on the boy, rather than Marie. She had, after all, only been what a woman was in the end; helpless and afraid. That was purely in the nature of her sex, and Niles knew that as well as Joseph did. He shouldn't have taken advantage of it. Not this time, or for these reasons, anyway.

Weaknesses were only to be exploited in enemies, and in women who needed a few flattering words sent directly to their egos to make them open their legs. It wasn't a tactic to be used to keep the people who were on their side silent! Marie had only been trying to help, even if it had been a rather pathetic attempt.

But that didn't really matter now, did it? He'd fixed it all, and had saved their dynasty and country's worldwide reputation.

He could let whatever annoyance remained with Marie go. She'd learned her lesson, and they weren't ever going to have this problem again for her to have to learn it twice.

He brought an arm around her back, patting it, "Well, there is no need to be now; as you know, I have handled the matter. We'll never have to think about it ever again."

"I do know, my lord, and for zhat, I believe you deserve a…_reward_."

Had Joseph not been looking at Marie and seeing for himself how her sorrowful grimace morphed into a seductive smile worthy of a whore, he wouldn't have believed those words had come out of his wife's mouth.

Between his own, treasured son punching him in the face for a whore and his frigid wife suddenly being all over him like a mare in heat, he could safely say his day had been anything if ordinary.

"A…a reward?" he managed to choke out as Marie's hand travelled to his chest and slipped beneath his shirt – she knew it drove him crazy when she ran those delightfully long nails of hers up and down his chest.

"Why, yes! 'eroes deserve zhem, don't zhey?" she purred into his ear, having started to grind her bottom against his crotch ever so slightly. "I'd certainly be delighted to give you my gratitude…"

Joseph couldn't hold back a groan as Marie actually reached into his pants and gave him a playful squeeze.

"_All_ my gratitude…"

Well, now _this_ was more like the sort of treatment he should've been getting from the start! Her hand hadn't been down there in some time, and he knew that, as much as he could have whores galore touching it, his mighty sceptre had missed a queen's touch. He could certainly leave the work he'd been doing for now. It didn't matter quite so much as him getting the reward he'd just been promised – besides, he could always let Niles earn his way back into being forgiven, by letting him complete it all...

Not that that would be the only thing he'd have to do. But it would be a start.

And speaking of starting, he was almost ready to leap up and turn the queen over on his desk. If she really was grateful, she'd let him take it just how he liked...

"If that is the case, then prepare yourself now, woman," he growled hungrily. "I'm going to take you for the ride of your life–!"

Before he could stand up and make her turn around, Marie quickly put a hand on his chest, stopping him in his tracks.

"Not now!" she told him quickly. "Tonight. Een my chambers. I know you especially like zhe window zhere..."

Joseph had to stifle a groan, practically feeling his manhood – that mighty sceptre of his – turning blue in the frustration. Why did she have to be such a tease about it?! Why couldn't he have his reward when he wanted?

He was thinking of saying something in return, but his mind got to thinking more deeply before he could. And the more he thought about it, the more it _did_ seem quite tempting, actually. Marie was right – he'd used her in that window a lot, so all the kingdom could see his prowess. And he could let the anticipation build for a few hours, before he finally got his delicious reward...

So, he let out a calming huff and started to smirk, "Alright. Tonight it shall be."

The queen smiled and planted a kiss on his lips, before getting out of his lap.

"Come before dinner. You will not 'ave to wait so long, zhen!"

Joseph couldn't help but agree with a smirk, already thinking of all the things he'd do to her body that night. If it was his reward, then he was going to get it in every position and fashion that he enjoyed, and he was going to make the most of it.

But little did he know, as he went back to the paperwork on his desk, that as she walked out of the study and left him to it, Marie was smirking too.

She was already having similar thoughts about what she'd do to him that night, and how it would all play out before the end. She had the idea ready in her head, she just needed it to go exactly the way she wanted it to. The first step was paying a visit to all the nearest apothecaries, healers, doctors and chemists to get exactly what she needed.

One thing she'd agree on with her husband was that he was definitely going to get _exactly_ what he deserved.


	29. Chapter 29

_**Chapter 28**_

The evening was drawing on nicely. The sky had turned a beautiful, warm burnt orange. The maids had stacked and tended to the fireplace, so there wasn't a chill even though Marie was sat wearing barely anything at all, just a slip of a nightgown that she'd worn once, in her younger days, when she'd still thought that the murderous, hateful pig she had married might stop putting his manhood into other women if she was alluring enough.

After tonight, he'd never be putting that disease-addled twig in anything ever again. She might even keep it on display, as a warning to other miserable wretches who betrayed their wives, hurt their sons for their own pride and murdered their daughters-in-law and their unborn grandchildren!

The bastard would be there at any moment, and she was ready and waiting. He wasn't leaving with his life, and Marie didn't care what would happen to her in return. Not when her son was in pieces, her daughter-in-law was cold in the ground somewhere they'd never find her and the baby...oh dear God, the baby...!

The thought would've sent tears straight to her eyes, had she not had to force them back, while her heart held itself together at the sinews. She couldn't let that fucking blackguard know that anything was wrong – he'd be suspicious enough of the two glasses of wine she'd poured.

But Joseph, as much as he liked to think it, was not smarter than Marie. And that was why she had drugged the glass that she wouldn't offer him.

It was amazing, the things one could find when they went to the right combination of doctors, chemists and opium dens. Just the right dosage would make him nice and pliable. Relaxed, even.

It didn't mean he wouldn't feel a thing. At least, Marie hoped it didn't. She wanted him to feel everything that C.C. would've felt when he was having her killed – she wanted him to die alone, in agony, and humiliated.

She wanted him to know it was the end, and that there wasn't a single thing he could do to stop it from happening.

She wanted him to die terrified.

She soon had to pin that ever-so fake sultry smile back to her lips as there came a knock at the door. Joseph would never know the difference – men never did, especially when they thought they would get something out of it.

She called out in a manner that suggested she was almost already in the throes of passion.

"Eet's always open for you...!"

And, like the fool he was, thinking only with the disgusting thing he kept between his legs, Joseph walked in. He immediately started to smile when he saw how the room looked. A sunset, a fire, the wine already poured...

His wife looked even better though, there on the chaise lounge, wearing practically nothing and spread eagled as though she was begging him to enter her right that very second. She had to be gagging for it, after not having had a man for so long – it wasn't as though any other man could touch her, even if they wanted to. She belonged to him to the point where he should've been making her wear a collar by now.

He should've added it as part of their agreement. After tonight, he would demand it, as well as a list of other things that he wanted her to do for him. She'd probably gone for all the personal touches, as well – trying to add a little romance and feeling to the atmosphere.

Not that Joseph cared one whit for either of those things. It amused him a little, nothing beyond that. He was too busy taking in the milky white skin of her thighs, the curve of her hips, the shape of her breasts – he'd enjoy those in a moment, to get himself started...not that he couldn't feel his pride and joy starting the whole process just thinking about it...

It was like being at a banquet, where he could help himself to all the most delectable parts, and no one could stop him. His smile curled upwards into a grin as he came in, shutting and locking the door behind him.

"It's late, but I do hope you haven't been starting without me. I'd hate to find that you'd worn yourself out before I got my fair share."

Marie laughed, flashing that charming smile of hers and getting to her feet.

"You know I'd never," she said teasingly and picked their wine glasses up. "I must say, 'owever, I did start up on zhe wine wizhout you…"

Smiling still, she offered the glass that had more liquor. She couldn't help but congratulate herself on what a good job she'd done with the glasses. The one that supposedly belonged to her, was half-empty and she'd smudged the rim with lipstick – it looked absolutely natural, and just like she'd known Joseph would do, he didn't take his own, preferring to take "hers" instead.

"I'll take this one, thank you," he said and sipped at his cup.

Marie had to make an effort not to laugh in his face. For all his boasting about what a fine specimen he was, he was so incredibly stupid. Had she not hated his guts, she'd have pitied him – it was, after all, like taking candy from a baby.

"Looks like you want to get me drunk," she said and sipped at her wine, pretending not to have picked up on Joseph's real motive behind the swap. She knew playing dumb would get her exactly where she wanted to be.

"Oh, no, my darling," the king crooned, finishing the last of his wine and then taking and downing the one in Marie's cup. "I want you sober – sober and present in the moment, so you can tell me just how much you like it when I fuck you."

Marie felt her stomach churn, but she didn't let her face give it away. She might have been repulsed by every word, but she knew he would pick up on even the slightest change in her expression or mood. She wouldn't let a single thing spoil her plan. Not when it was all going so perfectly, and she was so close to finishing it all...

She didn't know what would happen afterwards, but she was beyond the point of caring. She'd finally resolved to do what she should've done years ago, and she wasn't about to back out. Not when it had come too late for the love of her son's life, and the child she had been carrying. She was putting an end to the suffering and misery Joseph caused, simply with his very existence!

So, she let her grin go wider, pretending to enjoy being called a slut and wanting his pathetic waste of manhood inside her. The thought of it on a velvet pillow, minus the rest of him, on a pedestal in a cloister somewhere in the palace gave her plenty of reason to smile for real.

The drugs would work quickly enough. Everybody she'd spoken to had said as much. She'd only have to hold out for that long...

She spread her legs a little further apart, pretending to invite him to something he didn't realise he'd never get again.

"Zhe sooner you get started, zhe sooner you will get to 'ear zhat, won't you...?"

He looked at her position for a moment, during which Marie wondered if he'd tell her to get up and get ready another way. But he didn't. Instead, as he hummed thoughtfully, he kneeled down on the chaise longue and started to crawl towards her.

"I think you might be right, dearest wife-of-mine. And, for being so good and obeying my every order, I think you deserve a treat."

He didn't waste time. He never did when he had a task he'd rather not be doing, in order to get to what he did want to do. He slid her nightdress up and planted maybe one or two kisses around her womanhood, before letting his tongue go to work.

As much as she didn't want to enjoy a single thing from the fucker, Marie let herself go for a few moments. She'd never get this again, after Joseph was gone, so she was going to make the most of it. She was going to take, like he had taken for his entire life, and she wasn't going to apologise for it.

So, she moaned, and rolled her hips to meet his lapping, knowing that each little act of compliance lulled him into a deeper sense of false security. It especially did when she shouted out his name, gasping as he dragged her to her peak and let her tumble over the edge.

And as she recovered, he pulled back, poured and downed another cup of wine. When he was done, he wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

"I wasn't going to leave _that_ taste in my mouth," he declared, before pressing a single kiss on her lips. "Now, time to get ready for the real event...!"

It was lucky Marie knew what that meant. Anybody else would've been surprised then by him swiftly undoing his britches and releasing his manhood. She lay back and let it happen, as it was soon buried deep inside her.

She was determined to make the most of every thrust – if this was to be her last time, she might as well enjoy it and take as much as she could from the bastard before it was too late. When the alcohol and the drugs kicked in, it would not be like this. She wouldn't feel the overwhelming pleasure that made her roll her eyes back in her head (whether she liked it or not, he was good in bed, and Joseph was often smug about that fact). She wouldn't get to roll her hips as strongly against his, moaning and gasping.

She wouldn't ever again be brought to her peak, or fall over the edge into a blissful haze, only to be followed by him emptying himself in her shortly after. She knew they weren't finished yet, but until the drugs wore him down and it was time to put the plan into action, she had to keep him entertained.

When Joseph recovered, he pushed himself up, having rolled off her immediately after.

"Well," he said, the grin on his face implied even without being seen. "What next?"

Marie pulled herself more upright slowly. He still sounded sober enough. The drugs were clearly taking their time, and he hadn't had enough wine to be drunk yet. The only thing she could think to do was rectify that...

So, she simply reached for the carafe and poured him another cup.

And that was how the next ten minutes or so were spent – him taking kisses from her and playing with her exposed breasts while she passed him cup after cup of wine, watching him start to slur and stumble more as each gulp of drug-laced wine passed his lips…

Eventually, his attention – and his tongue – went back to her womanhood; he lapped and sucked and fingered in between cups of wine. She stroked and fondled and rubbed at his manhood until he cried out in his own pleasure in return, all while she kept filling him with cup after cup of heady wine.

Each second that passed was making him more vulnerable, and he didn't even know it.

When they eventually ran out of it, Marie knew it was time for the last part of her plan to be put into action – so, she opened her legs again to receive her (very obviously drunk) husband in her for a second time. She pretended to be surprised enough to raise an eyebrow when Joseph shook his head. He shook it slowly, as though he thought the world were moving at a different pace to its usual one.

"Not here," he told her, gesturing at where she still lay.

She cocked her head to one side, pretending to be confused about his refusal but also exposing her throat a little. She knew that he liked to think about putting her in a collar, and the more she could fuel that fantasy, the more susceptible he would be.

Why did men have to be so stupid? They practically traded their whole lives just so a girl would touch their cock...

The stupid one she'd had the misfortune of having to touch turned and pointed with a smirk towards the largest window in the room.

"You know where I like it, and you promised – the biggest window, right in front of the gate. So everybody can see you being my whore, just like you're supposed to be."

Marie grinned, but not for the same reasons he was. Perfect. He'd fallen for the fact that she hadn't chosen the window, so that the suggestion would come from him. He knew she had never once asked to be taken there, and had objected multiple times to being put on display like a Punch and Judy show for voyeurs.

He hadn't cared at all what she'd wanted, though. All the time, he'd only ever thought about himself.

But that night, there was no place that Marie would rather be.

Standing up and taking the glass from him, she set the remains of the drink and the drug infusion down, before starting to tug at the pig's jacket.

Pulling him in the direction of the window.

"Well, zhe sooner we are over zhere, zhe sooner everybody will get to see zhe show..."

That was more than enough of an incentive for Joseph. He practically dragged her there himself, all the while abandoning his clothes and trying hard to fondle and squeeze different parts of her body that he could reach. Not that it was completely working – the wine combined with concoction he had downed without even thinking about it were probably starting to have an effect.

And by an effect, she meant "working exactly as she'd hoped". He was just starting to get dazed enough from his drug-induced state that he was clumsy and teetering on the edge of realistically drunk, but sober enough that he'd follow her right to the ends of the Earth for what she was about to give.

Not that he'd have to go quite that far.

The cobblestones beneath the window would do nicely.

The window where he'd humiliated her for the whole kingdom to see, on a regular basis. Just next to the window ledge Marie had first imagined when she'd realised she was doing this.

When they got there, (him having just managed to pull his britches off and her giggling like she knew he wanted to hear) he only thought he was pushing her up onto said ledge, like he normally would, and Marie even grabbed at his wrists to give him a "helping hand" exploring her body.

She could only imagine that his vision was either growing a little blurry or something was causing him to see double, because his movements were a little slower than usual.

Not that it mattered. She hadn't meant to enjoy this last part (sex when her husband was inebriated was, more often than not, awful). She just had to remember what she was doing and who this was for, in the long run.

That was why she pretended to moan, acting the part perfectly, and even yelping as though she were both surprised and delighted when the hand that had been on her thigh slipped upwards in a juddering fashion, tearing her under-slip.

Joseph definitely seemed to like it, beaming all over his face at her through eyes that were coming close to glazed. He ran his hands over her thighs, into the middle where they met her womanhood, and Marie began to breathe like she was panting.

Just a little longer. She could get through this. She had to focus on what would come from it.

It certainly wasn't going to be him. Not again, at least.

And all the while, Joseph's hands fumbled at her nether regions, the flimsy nightdress tearing further as she opened her legs more to "help" and "encourage" him. She let a cry out when he used his fingers to give her some quick (as he could manage) strokes, just deep enough to make her gasp.

Just enough to get her wet.

"That's it," he grunted, shifting himself so that he was closer, his cock practically twitching in front of her. The movements and his words were both slower than normal, but the tone was ordinary enough for what he would say when he was about to take her. "Tell me how good that feels!"

"Zhat...zhat feels good," Marie mumbled, not wanting to mean it and certainly not meaning it as much as if he hadn't been drugged to the eyeballs. But she rolled her hips obediently to the movement of his fingers, breathing heavily and moaning some. "So good...!"

A hard stroke was accompanied by "Say you are mine!"

The queen couldn't help but whimper before she replied, "I am yours!"

But it was over before anything else happened – Joseph was clearly satisfied that she was ready, and didn't feel like giving her another "special occasion" treat that day. Not that she discouraged it from him to let herself finish. The loss of pleasure wouldn't be half as satisfying as what was on the brink of taking place.

He'd replaced his fingers with his cock in practically no time at all.

Well, not no time. It took him a few tries to line himself up correctly before he managed to slip inside her again.

And as he thrusted in and out, panting but slowing down quite rapidly as the mixture worked its way through his bloodstream, Marie let herself groan and lean back, pulling him in towards her chest so he'd occupy himself with her breasts.

While he worked his hips and she took each pounding (even if they were slowed) move that he gave, moaning and clutching at his shoulders with one hand, she made sure that his attention was completely spoken for...

And used the other hand to discreetly unlock the latch on the window behind her.

The fool didn't even notice. He was too busy lavishing attention on the parts of her body that he'd once said he'd have branded if he could. So people would know exactly who they belonged to.

His thrusts, even though they were hard enough to be getting her to her own peak once again (she had to give it to him – even drugged he knew how to get her there), were definitely on the way to stopping entirely. But he wasn't ready yet – she had to get him exactly where she wanted him!

She leaned forward as much as she could, rubbing herself more on him and letting his manhood bury itself deeper inside her again.

"Do not slow down, mon amour," she purred hotly, nipping at his ear. "I need eet, and I need eet now...!"

Either aroused more by the words or annoyed at the idea that she wasn't enjoying it how he wanted, Joseph sped up again, sending her over the edge as he did.

But she couldn't let herself get lost in it, or even pause for a breath. She needed him to be near his own...it wouldn't take long – not with the drugs and the alcohol...

And indeed, as he kept thrusting and his eyes completely filmed over, Marie knew what was about to happen. He never said when it would, he'd just do it.

So, before the moment arrived (taking him with it), Marie slipped herself off him and pulled away, standing up. The confusion and the rage were palpable from the minute he realised what had happened, even as he staggered and lurched about.

"Wh...? What's going on...?!" he demanded to know in the voice of a drunkard. "Do you mean to deny me my release, woman?!"

Marie immediately began to smile, shaking her head, and she came forward to put her hands on his arms.

"Of course not, mon amour!" she exclaimed. "I merely believed zhat you were...in need of a _treat_ as well..."

She walked him to the ledge to settle him on the seat, parting his legs at the knees and starting to kneel. Joseph, even in his current state, caught on to what she said she was doing and started to grin – it was practically his favourite thing of all. Whores, noblewomen and wives were all expected to perform this task for him, whether they liked it or not. And they certainly weren't to expect the same treatment in return. She'd had the last he'd ever give – and had probably been the only recipient, even if she couldn't be sure. All she knew was that Joseph didn't like having to be so "subservient" and so decided to rarely ever give it.

It wasn't going to matter what he liked or decided, in mere seconds.

"Close your eyes," she told him. "And lean back...relax..."

Joseph did as she said. It was ironic that that was perhaps the first time he'd ever obeyed her.

He was there. He was ready. And so was she.

"'Ere eez your _release_, you traitorous, murdering bastard!"

She was too quick for him. He hadn't even managed to say "Hm?" and had just opened his eyes before she had leapt up, left him a mere second or two of shocked realisation, and had pushed him through the open window. She leaned over just enough watch but not be seen as his hideous, naked body tumbled, screaming, to the cobblestones below.

"_M...Marieeeeeeeee?!" _

The question, whether born from the fear she'd hoped he'd feel or the sudden, sober knowledge of betrayal, was cut off shortly and sharply by a loud crack; the tell-tale sound of bones – a spine, a neck, a skull – breaking.

And, for the first time in so many years after sex with her husband, Marie of the House Brightmore began to smile.

She had to let it slip from her face as she came fully into the last of the light, though. She had to turn around and immediately play the distraught new widow, hurrying from somewhere else in the room to see what had happened to her husband.

Nobody would have a hard time believing her. Not as she let out a violent, whaling shriek (all the while pinching herself out of sight of the window to make tears come), apparently at the sight of her husband's broken body, naked and his skull bleeding to the point where it was flooding the cracks in the courtyard stones.

But she couldn't just stand there. She needed witnesses now. And the nearest guards in the palace who had heard her scream would do perfectly.

She could hear them outside the door, banging and shouting and rattling the lock, even as her loud weeping and screaming travelling outside and the presence of a body brought more hurrying, lively bodies to the courtyard.

"Your Majesty?! What happened?! Are you alright in there?!"

Marie knew that now was the time to be more convincing than ever, so she blinked hard to make the tears worse as she pulled as much of her nightdress as she could together, holding it and crying aloud and pretending to gasp for air as she came to unlock the door.

"No! Please, please anybody! Call zhe doctor! My 'usband, 'e...! 'e...! Zhe window…! 'e was just at zhe window!"

The guards marched in the minute the thing swung open, and Marie threw herself at them imploringly. As one went to go investigate the window and the other stayed – most likely to protect her in case of an attacker.

How little they knew...

"Oh, God!" she cried out, clutching at the guard's hands and shoulders, wide-eyed and the perfect picture definition of desperation. "You 'ave to do somezhing! Get zhe doctor! Get my son! Zhey will know what to do! Zhey can fix anyzhing – zhey will be able to 'elp! Zhey 'ave to, don't zhey?! Zhey 'ave to make it all alright – my Joseph...! 'e 'as to be alright!"

The guard she was holding on to looked afraid and uncomfortable – excellent. Real fear and terror often made people uncomfortable.

The guard who was coming from the window had a grave look on his face, like he knew what she was asking for was impossible. That was even better than before. That meant that he could tell Joseph was dead, even from looking at him from a reasonable distance.

She didn't want them to find him still breathing, and take him to his bed in the vain hope that he would recover. She didn't want to have to stand vigil by his bedside, waiting for the moment the priests and the doctors and the attendants would all leave, just so she could smother his half-conscious and completely unaware form with a pillow.

He didn't deserve a soft death. A merciful death. When she'd pushed him just then, he'd been awake. Aware. Feeling. She'd seen it in his eyes as he'd gone over the edge.

"Keep Her Majesty away from the window," the guard coming from the window ordered his companion, muttering to him as he marched towards the door. "It is best that she does not see..."

It wasn't hard for Marie to hear what he'd said, so she let the tears flow harder and the screaming get worse.

"No – no, 'e 'as to be alright! I can see! I need to see 'im, you get zhe doctor and I will go–"

She turned, trying to '_rush to her husband's side_', but the guard stopped her from taking more than a couple of steps.

"Your Majesty, please! For your own sake...it is best that you remain here while Doctor Potts is called."

Marie kept up her act, struggling against the guard's hold, trying with all her might to break free. She knew perfectly well that her husband was already on his way to hell, but she couldn't afford to let others realise this.

"You don't understand!" she cried, "We…we were… we were togezher! Just now! 'e said 'e needed some fresh air! Zhat's all!"

The guard gave the Queen a sympathetic look (one that made Marie congratulate herself for such an outstanding performance on her part). Judging by the Queen's state of near-undress and the empty wine pitcher lying atop the little table next to the chaise longue, it was obvious what had happened. The king's habits had finally claimed him and, in his drunken stupor, he'd gotten himself killed.

It didn't surprise the guards – King Joseph, may he rest in peace, had been living on borrowed time, It was bound to happen. Frankly, it was a miracle that he'd lived for as long as he had!

But their Queen didn't see that. She, always so kind and always thinking the best of people, still held out hope for her husband to be alive. It saddened them to see her in such a state. It couldn't be easy to witness your own spouse fall to a painful death. She was in shock. The couldn't allow her to run around the palace like that. She wasn't in her right mind and it was up to them to keep her safe until Prince Niles, or rather, King Niles arrived at her side.

"Your Majesty, please," he insisted. "I…I am afraid His Majesty is dead. The fall…it was too big…"

Marie held back a bubble of relieved laughter and all the thanks and praises for that in the world, instead making sure that they both "knew" just how much of an accident it all was. How much of a _tragedy_ it was.

How much she was now grieving for her bastard, blackguard of a husband.

"No!" she screamed, "fighting" against the hold that they had on her. "No, let me go! 'E cannot be gone, 'e _cannot_! Let me go to 'im, please – I can wake 'im! I know I can! Joseph!"

She made sure that every syllable of what she had said sounded like it hurt in the depths of her soul. Her soul that had to be stained completely black by now, for what she had done...

But she would accept those consequences when the time came, not before. He had been a murderer, a philanderer and a liar in life, without a spark of love or goodwill for anybody but himself. He deserved what he got.

For now, all Marie could think was that she had done the country a favour in getting rid of him before he had gotten any worse than he already was. And she'd gladly take each and every single tongue of the fires of Hell for the daughter-in-law and grandchild that he had taken away from her and their son.

And speaking of Niles––

"Fetch His Royal Highness...I mean…His Majesty...at once," the ranking guard told his companion. "He should be here to help. I shall stay with Her Majesty, and see that no harm comes her way in the meantime."

With a nod, the lower-ranking guard was gone, leaving the now Queen Mother and the other guard alone. The latter very gently walked a seemingly inconsolable Marie back to her bed and got her to lie down. He even got a maid to help her get changed into a clean nightdress so that she was presentable for when the new king arrived.

Marie was thankful for the gesture. She knew just how well liked she was by the staff and she was intending on milking it for all it was worth. Nobody would suspect her.

Nobody would ever know.

And her bastard of a husband would go down in history as a pitiful king who'd lost his worthless little life in an equally pitiful way.


	30. Chapter 30

_**Chapter 29**_

Niles was pacing. He could've paced through the floor by now and onto the floor below, and he wouldn't have noticed. He wouldn't have cared, either. Not unless somehow boring his way through and crashing down onto the next floor gave him a plan to rescue his wife and unborn child, that was.

It had to be a strong, solid plan that was completely foolproof. He wouldn't settle for anything less.

He hadn't thought of one as of yet, though. He'd been going over the little updated information he had about his wife – she was alive, yes, but where? Where had his father sent her off to, knowing that Niles wouldn't think to look if he thought she was dead? The country was too big to search it all – not before the baby was born, at any rate.

They didn't have enough time as it was, and there was no guarantee Laurens would wake up to let them know where she could be found. He'd already sent a letter off to Maxwell that requested his help, but time was of the essence. He'd had to consider every possible idea, including bringing in mercenaries - even hiring some sort of assassin who knew how to track their mark!

All of them had seemed like they'd lead to fruitless endeavours at the end of it, though. He was just one man – a prince, but just a man nonetheless – and it would take an entire army, not just one hired tracker, or even a band of them, to even stand a chance of finding her before it was too late...

He had to do it completely discreetly, too, and how was he supposed to do that? By sending a serving boy with a bag full of money to the nearest, shadiest inn, in the hopes of finding a band of brigands or a man who could make the problem go away? How would that work? How could he be certain that the boy wouldn't be robbed, or that it wouldn't get back to the wrong people that he had set the whole thing up?

He couldn't. And it all seemed so frustratingly complicated!

He felt the anger starting to boil up inside him again. God, how he wished he'd punched his father a few more times! Maybe enough to beat out every single detail of where C.C. was, who had her, and what it would take to get her back!

Maybe this would all be over by now, if he had. Instead––

_Knock, knock, knock._

The sound at the door made him start so much he halted in his pacing, and he turned to look.

With any luck, it would be his father, pushing his own luck to his limits by thinking he was welcome enough to show his face. Joseph was notorious for trying to weasel his way back into people's good books, after all...

But once he had called for the person to enter, he was more than a little bit disappointed that it was merely a guard at the door.

The prince very nearly sighed as he watched the guard give a low bow (he must have been new and eager to please – who bowed so low to a prince?). He'd already balled up his fist, and everything...

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Begging your pardon, my lord," the guard began, shifting from one foot to the other, as though he was uncomfortable at the thought of having to say anything at all. "But...but your father has been in an accident. He...he fell, from an open window after drinking some. He is dead, sir."

Niles then actually felt himself stumble; the taut chains that had previously been holding him on his paced path suddenly disappeared. They were placed by an immediate sense of sock, caving in into a deep pit (whether he liked that feeling or not).

Joseph. King Joseph, dead from a misadventure. Just when he'd been awake and walking around not long before!

Niles let his next breath come out in shudders. His...his father...the man he'd once looked up to and admired for his charm and obvious way with women.

He'd thought it had to be the most admirable way to live and had treated his father like some sort of warrior-poet-scholar-king. But now, he knew differently. Beneath feeling like a fool, he felt hurt as well, for believing...any of it! He'd nearly let the bastard lead him astray, down the own fiery path his father was probably taking right then!

But it had all ended so swiftly, and he'd gotten to live his new (second) dream of punching his father's face in mere hours ago! And of course he had done it while drinking! Niles should've guessed that it would happen that way!

It was just too typical. The only thing that could've made it all more like Joseph was if he'd have fallen out the window with no grace or dignity, just the clumsy loutishness that Niles had come to expect, and all the while a whore's lips fitted around his-

"There was nothing anybody could do," the guard continued. "I...I cannot tell you how sorry I am...Your Majesty."

If it hadn't been for the last two words slapping Niles' mind in the face as soon as they were out, he wouldn't told the guard not to even dream of feeling sorry. Joseph deserved what he'd clearly gotten, but it was a long way from that to suddenly finding everybody calling him "Your Majesty"!

He...he had to be king now, didn't he? That was the whole point, his reawakening mind was trying to tell him – his father was _dead_! That meant that he was king now, with all of what that entailed!

He could send armies to do anything. To look for his beloved, to hunt down the people who might have her...

As it grew, the plan began to swell in his head. It made his knees so weak that he nearly sank to them, the breath on his lips leaving with a noise that sounded like "huh...?!"

The guard ignored his obviously less-than-monarch-like response and continued saying whatever he had been ordered to, in order to get him to go and take care of it all.

"Her Majesty the Queen...your good lady mother...was in hysterics when I left to find you. She had... been with your lord father in his last moments, and was in need of comforting, after it all ended in tragedy."

That was a piece of information that changed everything, even more than it had done before.

His mother. His mother had been the one who was there, doing whatever it was his father had wanted, when the...accident...had happened?!

He was surprised that it wasn't one of his whores he'd dragged up to his chambers from the streets to do his business in, really. It would've made the ending almost storybook-worthy in its completeness if he had!

That was, in an odd way, slightly disappointing. Probably because it meant his father was not being punished for the deed in the manner of his death. But it also made Niles start to worry. If he had taken this fall in a drunken stupor, what else had he been doing in a drunken stupor...?! Was his mother distressed because Joseph had fallen in front of her, or was it because he'd...

Niles didn't even want to think of it! It would only give him another reason to want to punch the man – even the corpse would suffice – and curse and spit.

But he had his mother to attend to. She was more important than any revenge he could ever take, and she needed him right at that moment

"Look for one of my stewards and tell him to summon the Privy Council," Niles said to the guard. "The Lords are expected here in two hours' time. Oh, and look for Mr George Laurens, my butler. He's badly hurt and currently recovering at Mr FitzStewart's home – my driver knows the way, you can ask him for directions. Be careful when you bring him here and inform Dr Potts of his impending arrival. Also, do tell Mr FitzStewart I need to speak to him, urgently."

After delivering his first order as king, Niles stalked out of the room, not caring to hear his guard's reply. He knew he couldn't be refused now – as king of the realm his word was law. The mere thought sent a rush of adrenaline coursing through her body. Would he ever get used to having this amount of power? He certainly hoped so. Otherwise he'd end up like his father, consumed by power and his deluded perception of himself.

The mere thought was enough to make Niles gag.

The last thing he wanted in this world was to be like his bastard of a father. He'd promised this not only to himself, but also to C.C. and to his mother. He couldn't fail them. Not this time.

As he made his way up to his mother's chambers, he couldn't help but notice that the palace's hallways were unusually dark and silent. Niles found this, ironically enough, rather soothing. He really didn't think he could bear courtiers or servants bowing to him or pledging their allegiance. This was the prelude to his ascension. He felt almost as if he were an artist about to step on stage for the very first time – he felt a though he was about to meet his fate.

As such, silence was a much welcomed (and much needed) thing. The time to talk would come soon enough, but not now.

As he walked, he couldn't help but think about the life he was leaving behind. A life of self-indulgence and little to no responsibility. He wasn't particularly proud of how he'd conducted himself in the last few years. He'd been nothing but a conceited, self-serving cad. He'd done way too little for his people, hurt too many maidens, and turned a blind eye to the suffering of others. If he didn't know better, he'd have attributed his juvenile behaviour to lack of experience and the recklessness of youth. That wasn't the case, of course – he'd been raised to be that way by the very man he was to replace.

The apple really hadn't fallen far from the tree, and it had almost completely rotted to the core in the process. But now, he had the opportunity to be better. He'd learned that he could be better, and that there was a better way to lead his life. And it was all thanks to the woman the entire kingdom would be searching for, as soon as he gave the order.

She was going to make a remarkable queen. And he said it that way because he would do everything in his power to see her returned home, alive and well, and carrying their child...

He'd have his family back before he knew it, and the people who had taken them from him in the first place would be punished to the fullest extent of the law – High Treason, a crime punishable by death, in a particularly slow and agonising way.

He felt that they would deserve it. And that was coming from someone who would ordinarily never wish the death penalty on anybody. Not when another method was available and the person had been remorseful in their actions.

But some things were just too big, and too wrong, to possibly forgive.

It was with this thought in mind that Niles arrived at his mother's room and was met by the heart-breaking sight of his poor mother in a miserable state. She was cooped up in bed, wearing nothing but a thin nightgown that probably didn't shield her from the crisp November chill, and with puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks.

"Mama!" he took off at a brisk pace to go to her side, not caring anymore about not making noise or having a moment of quiet reflection. All he wanted was to get to his mother, who was clearly having the worst time of her life. "Mama, I'm here – I'm here, it's alright..."

It very clearly wasn't alright. No matter what either one of them really thought or felt about the dead pig whose body was taking up space on the cobblestones outside, it would have cut her to the core to see it happen. To know that there wasn't anything she could do...

His mother was too good for the world a lot of the time, even if the world could never pay her back for it. A lot of the time, it simply moved onto the net thing that could possibly cause her hurt, but she didn't stop being good even then.

She didn't stop being kind. And Niles knew now, more than ever, which parent he should've been emulating for so many years. His decisions had been shameful and he felt nothing but regret for them.

At least he had stopped. He knew better, and he was going to use the knowledge to bring together and take care of his family, as quickly as he could.

None of them would ever be apart again.

He seated himself next to his mother on her bed, and then turned to the guard.

"Leave us," he commanded. Doing that as a king was going to take some getting used to, but for this, it was necessary. "See to it that...my father's body...is being handled as is necessary."

He didn't care if they were tossing the thing about like a rag doll or using the head as though it were a puppet by making the mouth move to "say" amusing things in reality, but it felt like the correct thing to say. It wasn't as though he was going to offer his father much more dignity in death – that was something he had already decided. There would be no state funeral. No grave pomp or circumstance. No expenses paid, let alone spared. There would only be an unmarked tomb in a graveyard no one had ever heard of, let alone visited, and his father would pass into history with no more ceremony than a small funeral attended by practically no one.

He'd be remembered for his death, nothing else.

There were no heroic deeds to remember, no cunning shows of statesmanship, no laudable feats or sacrifices for his people. He'd been a pitiful man and a pitiful king, and he'd turned his back on everything and everyone he should have taken care of. His mother was probably the best example of this.

"Maman, I promise it will be alright," he said softly, rubbing a hand up and down his mother's back. "I'm here now…"

The Queen Mother didn't reply. She continued to lie motionless, eyes unfocused. He'd never seen her in such a wretched state! Not even when she'd told him that she had syphilis. She was the picture of a woman who'd seen far too much – a woman who was both burdened and haunted by memories that were too much alike nightmares.

A woman who'd lost so much…

"We've lost eet all, son," she croaked, tears starting to fall again. Real tears, for even if Marie wasn't hurting for Joseph, she hurt for everything else she'd lost. "C.C. and zhe baby… bozh gone..."

Niles could feel his heart being squeezed to the size of a pin's head. His mother's life had been a heartbreaking series of losses – first, when she'd married his father, she'd lost her home country and religion. Then, Joseph's treatment of her had robbed her of her innocence. Fate had taken most of her children from her in ways that were too painful to even think about, a situation that had been repeated with C.C. and the baby. Having seen her own husband fall to a violent death mustn't have been easy, either, no matter how much she'd loathed him. Some things were simply too traumatic to witness.

It made Niles feel powerless, even with all the power his new position entailed. He was on a sinking canoe, trying to keep water from filtering through the cracks by covering them with his hands. But even if he might not have been able to make everything better, he could give her hope – a silver lining, if you will.

He could tell her that C.C. and the baby were alive and that, as king, he now stood a fighting chance at getting them back! It probably wouldn't make his mother feel a lot better in herself to know, but it was a lot better than nothing.

"Maman, we haven't lost them," he said gently, continuing to rub her back. "We have a witness who knew the truth from the start – he's unconscious, currently, but he told us C.C. and the baby are alive! Father didn't kill her or the child. Not yet, at least. She's been kidnapped and is being held captive by a noble family – they've bought the baby off Father and plan on killing C.C. as soon as she gives birth!"

Marie choked on the sob in her throat, forcing her to come to a stop.

C.C...and the baby...they were alive?! There was a witness who could say that Joseph had been lying about having her killed right away?!

If she hadn't just done it, she would've murdered the bastard all over again for lying about killing their daughter-in-law and their only grandchild! For selling off their grandchild as though a baby was a loaf of bread, or book you could pass on to whomever he wanted! For sending their daughter-in-law to her death, and making sure her husband was left in the dark, never knowing and always grieving!

She would've made his death a thousand times more painful, and the last memory he would ever leave in anyone's heads a thousand times more embarrassing, if she had known he would do this!

She could only hope that the good Lord above had managed to take note of that sin before Joseph had met his end and had acted accordingly! She already knew the bastard would be suffering in Hell, but she wanted to be sure that he was suffering for absolutely everything that he had done! With any luck, this would have made his eternal punishment even worse!

But his current state was of no real concern. Back on Earth, the news she'd just heard would be a miracle if it was true – if her daughter-in-law was alive, along with her grandchild, then Niles could find them before it was too late!

She was sure it could happen, if it was all really real. They needed that witness to wake up, and by the grace of God, Marie hoped they would. Niles had to make it to his beloved wife and their unborn child in time...

He had to find his family. And never let them down. Not like his father had done.

Not...not like she had done, with dawning horror and realisation that hit like she had just fallen and crashed to the ground.

She had killed Joseph for something that hadn't even happened! C.C. and the baby were alive – there was nothing to take revenge for! Of course, she always knew she would've gone to whatever lengths it took for her family, but she had committed murder over a lie! A lie that, had she been told about sooner, would've meant that she'd never have gone near her husband!

Niles, meanwhile, had noticed that, along with the sudden quietness, his mother's face had taken on the colour of ash. That worried him. He'd been in combat and he'd seen men take on similar looks, usually just after they'd witnessed something devastating, or had had to do something that they couldn't live with...

It wasn't the reaction he'd hoped for. It wasn't even a little better than before – if anything, it somehow looked worse! He didn't understand how that could be, when he knew how much she loved C.C. and would have doted on the baby!

He couldn't let it pass, not even if it was probably just the shock of his father's death still.

"Maman?" he asked gently. "You...you heard what I said, didn't–"

"I 'eard what you said," Marie replied quietly and slowly sat up.

She felt sick, but she was resolved. What else could she do, but tell her son what she had done? It never would've happened, if it hadn't been for her. She thought she had spared her son from having to blacken his soul and had avenged her family. But all she'd done was...commit a murder...betray the country that she'd made her home...

Forced her son into the position of having to charge his mother with high treason.

She'd have lived with the guilt of killing Joseph. But she could never live with the guilt of hurting her son.

"I...I 'ave somezhing to tell you," she eventually got out, trying not to burst into tears before she could make it.

Her boy looked so innocent when he blinked back at her. It was going to break her heart all over again, knowing she had to take the blissful ignorance it away.

"Mama?" he asked tentatively. "What are you talking about...?"

It had to be gotten out in one go. Like ripping off a caught fingernail.

"Your fazher's deazh was no accident. I...I pushed 'im from zhat window."

She continued with her explanation before Niles had a chance to react. Not so that she could explain herself – she knew there was no real, lawful justification – it just came, as though it were a waterfall, rushing fast and too powerful to stop.

Just like her real tears, as they started to fall.

"I could not 'elp myself! I was so angry, upon 'earing what 'e said 'e 'ad done to C.C. and zhe baby! I 'ad 'ad enough! So I planned eet all. I...I lured 'im 'ere, wizh zhe promise of an..._eentimate_ evening...and plied 'im wizh drugged wine! And when we were...een zhe middle of eet all, I unlatched zhe window, got 'im into a...well, a position where 'e would be next to zhe window, and...and I pushed."

Niles felt like he had been pushed himself, upon listening to the...the confession his mother was telling him. And said push had sent him hurtling over a cliff, possibly into an abyss of which he had yet to meet the floor.

The fall felt just as devastating as the crashing would. He knew that already.

His own mother...his Maman...she'd been the one to do it?! _She'd_ killed his father?! No – no, no; it couldn't have happened like that! There had to be some mistake, or misunderstanding!

She couldn't have done it – she was too good for that! Too pure. Too innocent! She'd never harmed a thing in her life, and yet now she was claiming that she had taken the life of a person?!

But she wouldn't have joked about something like that, or lied. Why couldn't she be lying or joking, though?! She'd killed Joseph for C.C. and the baby! She'd knowingly committed a murder, because she'd thought her own daughter-in-law and grandchild had been murdered!

That softened and melted him inside in the most desperately tragic of ways, sending his stomach swirling and squirming into guilt. He let his head (as it swam) fall into his hands just before the tears fell. Why hadn't he told her immediately?! He should have done it before it was too late – none of this would've happened if he'd told her!

She wouldn't have had to do it...

His father hadn't deserved his life. He'd been a cruel, selfish boor of a man, and he'd hurt so many people over the years that he'd only ever be remembered for how much he was hated. His death was certainly necessary and deserved, but his mother didn't deserve to have to shoulder the burden – she shouldn't have had to take it upon herself to do the deed!

She was too good for this, and yet Niles had failed to protect her from his father and his father's responsibilities once again!

"Oh, Niles…" Marie said, both voice and heart cracked.

The Queen Mother had never been able to stand seeing her son in pain. She wasn't a violent person by nature, but whenever she'd seen her son hurt or crying, her rage could have scorched entire planets to a crisp. Niles and, by extension, C.C. and their baby, were the only reason Marie was willing to become a vindictive witch. She wouldn't allow anyone or anything to hurt them, and that included herself.

In her eyes, her greatest sin was having made her own son cry.

"My sweet, sweet boy," she said, wanting to hold him but not daring to – she had no right, after what she'd done. "I am so very sorry… I…I didn't know! I wouldn't 'ave done eet eef I'd known C.C. was still alive."

The Queen Mother sniffed and looked at her son, who was sobbing quietly. His silence was worse than the Eternal Damnation that she knew was waiting for her when she crossed to the next life. She couldn't blame him, of course – he probably was asking the Good Lord what he'd done to deserve such horrible parents.

There was, at that point, only one thing left to do.

"Alright zhen," she said shakily – it would be a lie to say she wasn't afraid of the gallows. It was the fate she deserved, but it scared her, nonetheless. "I…I will get dressed, son. You can go and call for zhe guards. I'll be ready to go to zhe Tower een no time."

Even in his despair, Niles heard what she said. And he knew exactly what she meant when she said it. _The Tower._ The only prison in the land reserved for nobility, where they either spent the rest of their days or...

…Or they were kept until they were executed.

If he'd felt like he was falling before, hearing the words made it feel like he'd just been overtaken by his own stomach.

"No!" he cried aloud, feeling his mother starting to move and attempt to climb out of bed, and clutching at her arm to stop her from moving.

He wasn't going to let her do it. He wasn't going to let her go to that awful place, willingly or otherwise! It didn't matter what she'd done – she was his mother! What kind of a son would he be if he just let her give up her life like that?! If he _trialled_ her?! Signed her _death warrant_?!

How could he do it, when all she'd wanted to do was protect and avenge her family, against a man who had done nothing to deserve the life he'd had and had earned the death he'd gotten?!

How could he do it, when he loved her, and had promised her a better life now that he had changed?

It wasn't fair. None of it was fair. How could he claim to be a good king, better than his father by far, if he didn't see justice served, not just obey the letter of the law? How could he be a good man, not just better than his father but better for himself, if he did wrong by the people he loved?

His mother didn't deserve what the cold words of the law books would say. Ink was ignorant of the nature of men; it had no eyes to see the situation, or a mind to understand the hearts of people. It was a guideline, but it needed someone to know the circumstances and follow it with these in mind.

And that was what Niles would do. He knew what had happened, both then and before, and he would put the law exactly where it belonged in this case.

Marie's eyes welled up with fresh tears, that then spilled over as she took in a hitched breath.

"Niles...you...you 'ave to let me go," she said, voice broken and shaking. "I broke zhe law – I committed treason, I killed a––"

" ––brute who deserved what he got," Niles firmly finished her sentence for her, never once letting go of her arm. "That bastard had his death coming for so many years, Maman. I am not going to let you take a punishment for simply putting an end to him getting out of it for all that time...!"

This only seemed to distress his mother even more, which sent a crack straight through his heart.

"But...but you are king now, Niles! You are supposed to up'old zhe law, no matter what! And whezher we like eet or not, I...I killed a man! I commeetted an act of evil!"

The crack in Niles' heart splintered painfully, and he blinked away more tears.

"Don't say that!" he cried out, shaking by this point. "You could never...you are not...you are my mother, I love you, and in my eyes, you have done nothing wrong. I refuse to send you away for that – to...that place...or to anywhere! You're staying here, with your family, and years from now, no one will ever talk of Father except to say how he brought his own stupid death upon himself."

It was the truth, as far as Niles was concerned. Whether or not his father had been killed on purpose, he had brought it upon himself by being a lying, cheating bastard of a man, with no regard for anyone but himself and the horrible idea in his head that he could use people in any way that he wished, whenever he wished.

If it hadn't been Marie who'd finished it all off, it would've been an assassin's blade that did the work. Or a too-stiff drink that got him inebriated and caused a fall on the stairs. An accident when hunting. A heart attack while he was busy fucking one of his many whores...

Death after death presented itself to how his father had acted while alive (that felt very odd to have to think), and Niles could only think about how each was as plausible as the next.

But of course, not mentioning this line of reasoning aloud clearly left room for doubt in his mother's mind.

"But _I_ would still know what I did, Niles! And I know zhat what I did deserves punishing!"

Niles sighed, feeling the pressure start to crack the rest of his insides, as well as his now-battered heart.

"You haven't done anything that you need punishing for, Maman. If the law cannot see it, then I can. I promised you a new life, complete with the happiness that had been missing before. I'm not taking that away from you just because some book written by a man who most probably isn't alive anymore said I should! What does he know of me, or you, or the situation we have been in? It is not up to him what happens – it is up to me as king of this land, and I say that you will _not_ go to the Tower."

He pulled his mother into a tight hug, not wanting to let go. He didn't care what she'd done – to him, she was not a monster or even guilty. Her actions has been motivated by despair, and his bastard of a father deserved everything he'd gotten. He was nothing to no one anymore, and Niles was not going to let his mother surrender her life to pay for Joseph's when he knew hers was much more valuable.

"Niles...oh...son, what 'ave I done?!" Marie wept, leaning into his embrace and body shaking with her desperate cries. "'ow will you ever forgive me?!"

"Nothing, Mama, you've done nothing wrong..." Niles insisted. "There is nothing to forgive."

Very gently, Niles kissed the side of her head and rubbed her back. This was obviously a very difficult time for her – she'd have to come to terms with what had happened and learn to forgive herself. She hadn't cast the first stone. His father had, long ago.

Joseph had set himself up for this, with the way he'd thought, spoke and acted. And, wherever he was now – Niles could speculate – the new king hoped that his father knew it. He also hoped he knew that, compared to some, he'd had something of a quick and merciful death.

It went to show really, just how good his mother was – even when plotting a killing, she hadn't thought of anything as cruel as a full-on poisoning, or torture, or anything as savage as stab wounds or trauma.

She had been doing what she thought was right at the time, and she needed to forgive herself. It would take a long while, perhaps years, before she'd probably even consider it.

But he would be there to help her, every step of the way. And as soon as C.C. returned to where she belonged, she would help as well. Having the baby there would probably go a long way to restoring his mother's happiness, and building it up until it was greater than it had ever been.

They'd be a real family. Not the miserable bunch that just so happened to be related, like they had been under Joseph. Being the head of the family was a title and job that Niles intended to take seriously.

And to do it, he had to start by getting his family all back under the same roof.

"It will be alright," he told her, hugging her just that little bit tighter. "We will make it through this, like families do. And you will have your family here, no matter what."

That was a promise he intended to keep; whatever life threw at them, their family would endure it, and they would do it together. They'd be whole again in no time. Niles would see to it, and then they could all move on from the awful legacy that Joseph had intended to leave behind.

But he hadn't and would not succeed. He'd be left in the dirt of history, remembered only for his death and how hated he was in life.

That was the legacy he deserved, for the way he had treated his family.

And Niles was going to do everything he could to be the king, husband and father that Joseph never was.


	31. Chapter 31

_**Chapter 30**_

Noel didn't think he'd stopped being on edge yet. He certainly wasn't relaxed enough to sleep, even though it was fast approaching midnight, and he'd barely eaten anything at all at dinner. Margaret had suggested more than once that he make a hot drink and try to get some rest, but he'd gently refused each time.

It didn't feel fair to leave just her and one of the servants, to watch Laurens. The man hadn't woken up again as of yet, but what if he did? What if they needed more than one helping hand while someone ran to fetch the doctor? The man was treading a fine line between life and death – they needed all the eyes on him that they could get!

Even a couple of their eldest children had tried to look in, before their parents had turned them away, back to their nannies. The children had, of course, complained loudly about this, but Noel and Margaret had remained firm on the matter. The man's wounds were terrible to look at – certainly nothing for children to see!

He hadn't been able to protect his wife from seeing the horrors committed at the lodge, but they had agreed to protect their family from––

_Knock, knock, knock._

The blows against the front door caused everyone present to nearly jump out of their skins. It even made Laurens stir in his bed, moaning and groaning softly in a kind of half-unconscious panic, even though he didn't wake properly and had to be shushed, so they could listen to find out if anybody was speaking outside.

They looked at each other with no small amount of panic in their eyes. Who could be calling at such an hour? Thieves attempting to rob the shop didn't normally knock – and they certainly wouldn't make a noise loud enough to wake everybody in the building!

It had to be somebody who wanted their attention. Whether that was good or bad, Noel didn't know. Not that he liked the sound of it – his stomach was turning over already with a sense of dread, and his palms were starting to feel slightly clammy.

_**Knock, knock, knock.**_

The blows were harder that time, spelling out that they, whoever "they" were, meant business. And said business would probably involve staying there and knocking until they broke down the door, unless someone came...

Well, Noel knew exactly who that had to be. He wasn't going to let his wife or anybody in his employ go down there, to face any number of potential threats and dangers! It could be anybody down there, and he would rather go fight off any number of bandits, rogues or brigands, than let Margaret so much as have to talk to just one!

"Stay here," he murmured to her, getting up and kissing her on the forehead before she could protest and insist they both went down together.

He walked out quickly, preventing any arguments they didn't have time for, or stopping her insisting they called someone else to do it. The person knocking was waiting, and for the sake of his family and staff he regarded as friends, Noel wasn't going to keep them much longer...

And he immediately felt in his heart that he had made the right decision, when he had shuffled downstairs and then opened the front door to be greeted by two of the tallest, burliest guards he had ever seen in his life.

Guards. From the palace.

"Are you Noel FitzStewart?" one of them asked, voice hard and level as a stone floor. "The king demands your presence, and the presence of one George Laurens, right away."

Noel swallowed, hoping he hadn't also swallowed his own tongue in the process.

Oh, God. King Joseph had found out. Why else would the guards be there?! How else would they know that Laurens was with them?! They hadn't told anybody – God strike them down if they gave away an innocent man like that! – but somehow, the information had gotten back to the king!

They'd been betrayed, or seen, or something had happened! But what was he going to do about it now?! He couldn't fight off those guards, and what would happen if he tried? Would they drag him up to Joseph themselves? Haul him into the nearest gaol to await a terrifying trial? Kill him on the spot?! What would they do to his family, if they stepped over his body and just marched right on into their home?!

He didn't want to imagine the fear in his wife's eyes, their servant's eyes, their children's eyes, if they came up without him and demanded Laurens...

He couldn't let it happen! So, as soon as the guards tried to step forward, he took a step back, preparing to close the door in their faces and make a run for it; to bolt up the stairs and tell everyone to grab what they could, including helping with Laurens, because they were leaving...

The guard who had spoken seemed to take a dim view of his reluctance to be arrested.

"Sir, I must ask that you come with us at once–"

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Noel shouted back. "You can tell your king directly from me that he's a––"

"We have our orders, sir," the guard interrupted him again, louder, and using an arm like a tree trunk to pin the door open. "His Majesty, King Niles, made it clear that it was urgent you and George Laurens were brought to the palace immediately."

Noel was about to argue back again, when something caught his attention that also made him freeze.

He...the man hadn't said "Joseph"...

"King...King _Niles_...?" Noel asked weakly.

The guard's mouth formed a line, and his voice became grave, "Indeed, sir. His Majesty's lord father, King Joseph, was met by...a tragic accident, this evening. As such, we answer to a new monarch now. A new monarch, who has called for your presence."

It took every ounce of willpower Noel had not to cry out in relief, or apparent happiness, at the news of Joseph's death. But he couldn't not feel like a huge weight had been lifted from their shoulders! Niles...Niles becoming king had come around so suddenly! They'd all known it would happen one day, but the abruptness was more than a little jarring!

But if Niles was king now, that also meant Laurens was safe from persecution, didn't it? They could take him safely to the palace, get Potts to look after him, and they'd be able to find C.C...

C.C...dear God, if Niles was king, that meant C.C. was queen! His little sister was _queen of an entire country_!

Noel thought he might faint at the idea of his baby sister ruling over an entire nation, if it weren't so important that he stayed on his feet! If Niles was king, that meant it was safe to go to the palace – both for him and for Laurens. They had to obey, and they had to do it quickly, if they had any hope of getting any more leads to finding C.C.!

"Oh, I see," the jeweller replied weakly, having to lean against the door for support – the shock probably wouldn't wear off for hours! "Well, in that case do come in, gentlemen. Mr Laurens is upstairs – I trust you know he's delicate, correct?"

"We do, sir," replied one of the guards – probably the higher ranking of them. "But rest assured, Mr Laurens will arrive safely and soundly to the palace. His Majesty has provided a carriage and a stretcher to transport Mr Laurens."

That was good enough, in Noel's mind, and so he had soon stepped out of the way and was guiding the men upstairs, towards Laurens' room. Mere hours ago, the thought of having the king's men in his home would have filled him with dread, but as it was he could only thank the heavens they were there.

Funny just how quickly things can turn around…

He only hoped it was for the best.

"This way, gentlemen," Noel said, gesturing for the guards to follow him down the hallways and into their guest room. "Mr Laurens is––"

"What is the meaning of this?!"

The blast of a shout nearly sent Noel sprawling backwards, but he just about managed to hold on and not humiliate himself by falling. He should've known that his wife wouldn't take kindly to guards in their home – she'd take same the view that he had, only moments before!

And he wasn't helping matters by leading the king's men straight to Laurens! For all Margaret knew, he was being forced at the point of a sword, at best, or giving up without a fight and surrendering the man himself, at worst!

He had to explain, and quickly, or else he thought his wife (who had jumped out of her seat upon seeing them) might try and fight both men off herself!

"Margaret! Sweetheart, please!" he actually had to step forward and take her by the arms to stop her from charging at them like a wild bull. "It's alright, they're friends! They're here to help us––"

"They're the _king's men_, Noel! And you brought them into our home, directly to Laurens?!" Margaret bellowed, struggling in his hold. "What is the matter with you?! Let go of me!"

"They're not from Joseph!" Noel argued back, staying as loud as he could so that she would listen and hopefully calm down. "He's...he's not here anymore, Margaret! Niles is king now!"

Upon hearing her husband's words, Margaret froze.

Niles...their prince...their brother-in-law...the day had come this early?! Joseph was gone and he was king?!

But...but how?! Joseph had been in perfect health before, hadn't he?! Margaret heard a myriad of different strains of gossip in passing as she went on her deliveries, and she had never once heard anybody mentioning the king being in ill health! Not even when she'd made deliveries to the palace, or the lodge! No one had said so much as a word!

But now...now, Niles was their king?! The man that Noel had almost castrated on their shop floor, for daring to be in love with his sister?! The man that had since proved to be a good, decent man, who wanted nothing more than to make his love happy and do right by his people?!

It seemed almost too good to be true, but the look of seriousness in Noel's eyes and the lack of any more explanation told her everything. It was true, Niles was king, and...and that meant that C.C. was queen, wherever she was!

And it meant that their only witness to her kidnap was now safe. Laurens could go with them, and recover, and then they'd learn more from him and find her!

"Oh..." it was all the dizziness in her mind would allow her to say, at first. The daze was slow to shake off, but she had to pull through it to speak. "Then we must get Laurens to His...His Majesty...at once!"

It was so odd to call Niles that, after having referred to him as "Royal Highness" for so long!

"We will, my darling, we will." Noel said, grasping Margaret's hands in his. "Now, stay with the children while I go to the palace, alright? I'll be back as soon as I can."

Margaret nodded. "Alright, then. Let me help you with Mr Laurens."

Together, the FitzStewart couple and Niles' envoys picked Lauren's battered body up and deposited it on the stretcher that had been brought from court. They tried to be as gentle as possible, but the poor butler still moaned in his sleep. His body was simply too damaged for them to touch it without causing him any discomfort.

"Wait!" Margaret cried out as the stretcher was lifted.

She quickly grabbed one of the many blankets they'd piled on Laurens and covered the man with it.

"There – nice and tight," she said, smiling at her handiwork. "We don't want our friend catching his death out there, do we?"

Noel took her hand and brought it to his chest, squeezing it tight.

"You are a paragon of virtue and charity, my dear," he said, kissing her hand before releasing it again. "I'm going to make sure that Niles – well, His Majesty – knows that it was your handiwork that has allowed Laurens to remain so comfortable."

Margaret smiled back at him adoringly; her cheeks were probably flushed even though it was too dark to tell for certain. She always blushed when he said things like that about her, no matter the fact that they were true.

"Get up to the palace," she told him. "I won't have you wasting any more time with your flattering nonsense!"

Noel pulled a face at her, blew her a kiss and climbed into the carriage alongside Laurens' stretcher. He knew she was right, really – he couldn't waste time they could be spending getting up to the palace! Niles wanted to see them right away, and he wasn't going to let their new king down by dawdling!

Besides, the sooner they got there, the sooner he could pass Laurens over to Dr Potts! And that meant they'd have a better chance of the butler getting better sooner, and telling them where C.C. was, before it was too late!

Even as the carriage moved off (steadily but at enough of a pace to get them there quickly), Noel sat back and wondered who could've taken her. He knew Niles would want their heads, but he wanted a piece of the action before all of them went to the gallows.

And they would go to the gallows, before their heads went anywhere else. As C.C. was now queen, holding her prisoner was an act of high treason. There was only one form of death sentence for high treason...

It made him shudder to think about, but anybody who'd slaughter a house full of servants before kidnapping a pregnant woman deserved everything they got. The threat of being hung, drawn and quartered was not a sentence to be taken lightly, and yet they were willing to disregard it as though they thought they weren't going to be caught!

That only proved their arrogance, as well as the evil in their hearts. The world would be better off without them, once Niles had overseen their trial.

And it wouldn't be long before that happened, once Potts had managed to help Laurens get back to full strength. He'd be able to do a better job than Noel and Margaret had – they'd done everything they could, obviously, but Potts had the means, the time, and the knowledge required to make it all work.

He'd know what to do if an infection set in, or if the wound needed stitches, or if a different treatment was needed. The butler was definitely in better hands at the palace.

And everybody would be better off for it, Noel thought, as the carriage passed through the palace gates into the courtyard.

He gave an encouraging smile to the unconscious Laurens.

"Not long now, my friend. We'll get you well, and you can tell us what you know..."

He could only hope that whatever information he had was enough to find their C.C. before her time was up.

* * *

When the carriage eventually pulled up the palace's courtyard, Noel easily spotted the new king waiting for him at the door. It was almost impossible to think that that man there, standing and looking so imposing in one moment and yet so concerned, relieved and ready to help the moment he'd spotted them, was both a king _and_ his brother-in-law. There was something so unreal to Noel about knowing that their new monarch was utterly devoted to C.C., as well as being utterly devoted to his country.

It wasn't the same sort of devotion, of course. But despite the differences, the two aspects blended seamlessly, right at that moment.

He needed his wife back, because he was devoted to her and couldn't think of living a single second longer without her, or the family they would build. But he also needed her back because he was devoted to his country, and wanted to give it the powerful ruling monarchs that it deserved, along with a strong, healthy heir.

The king practically scaled the carriage without waiting for the footmen to open the door in the seconds after he had seen them arrive.

"Gentlemen! Thank God you are both here," he exclaimed, clearly relieved to be able to get the opportunity to see them. Even if one of the stewards behind him might have been shouting for him to come down for his own well-being. "I had feared that...well, maybe something might've happened..."

Noel frowned. The king clearly meant that he was afraid Laurens would've died before they'd gotten there. But he didn't have to worry – nothing of the sort had happened. And they both knew it wasn't going to, as long as they got him inside and put under the care of Dr Potts!

He offered his brother-in-law a friendly grin to help calm his nerves.

"Well, Margaret did threaten to beat your two messengers to a pulp in order to defend our friend here, but other than that, our way here was uneventful."

Niles laughed in spite of himself – it was like Margaret to challenge two fully-grown behemoths if it meant ensuring the safety of those she loved and held dear. The woman was a saint, in Niles' eyes, and both she and her husband deserved a reward far grander than any he could ever give them.

Still, he was going to try his best, and as a first step, he had a little something for the whole FitzStewart family.

"Your wife is a force to be reckoned with, brother," said the new king, slapping Noel's back. "But that's a good thing – she will need a strong hand to command her new household."

Noel's face screwed into a confused frown.

"New household, my lord?" he said, cocking his head sideways. "Why on Earth would we need a new household?"

"Why, because otherwise your poor staff will not be able to properly address your new needs, of course!" the king replied, starting to smile. "The Duchy of Marlborough comes with a rather spacious estate, Your Grace."

He said it with a certain amount of emphasis, but Noel blinked anyway.

"Sire?"

Niles carried on as though it was the most simple thing in the world, "Well, the seat of the duchy is Blenheim Palace, you see. The grounds are enormous, as is the palace itself. Your current staff will probably be grateful for any more people brought on, to help them look after the place!"

The king laughed then, and Noel tried to laugh along awkwardly, but trailed off. He...he wasn't quite sure that he'd understood. The way Niles had put it, implied that...well, that this apparent Duchy of Marlborough – along with its very own _palace_?! – now belonged to him!

But that couldn't have been what he meant, could it? Bastard sons didn't get estates – not unless they were the king's _own_ bastards, anyway! Not that he meant his brother-in-law any disrespect, of course (he loved C.C. too much to do that to her), it was just that...well, he seemed to be suggesting something that simply wasn't done!

"You're looking rather confused there, Marlborough," Niles said with implication in his voice and a grin on his face. "At which part did I lose you?"

Noel's face fell, as full and complete understanding finally hit home.

He meant it. He really and truly meant it. Niles had made him a _duke_! A duke with his own title and sprawling estate, and a completely new way of life...

It was almost enough to make him faint at the king's feet, but he had to steel himself – control his emotions! He wasn't just some rich merchant anymore. He was a duke, appointed by his own brother-in-law, the king. He had to take on the role with at least a small amount of dignity!

And he had to answer Niles, before it looked like he'd died standing up!

"You did not lose me, my lord! I...I do apologise for my...momentary bewilderment. I just couldn't believe what I was hearing! It is...a greater honour than I deserve...thank you..."

Niles chuckled, and put a hand on Noel's shoulder, shaking him a little bit. He had half a mind to say that he was shaking some sense into the man, but he felt he could do that just as well with words.

"You have no need to thank me. You have more than earned your place – even for simply being C.C.'s brother, you would have received a title. For being a good one, and for being a good friend, you have gotten the best I am able to give," he said. "Once this is all over, we'll go hunting up there. Your grounds are rife with game, just as they should be, and you have a whole new kitchen, just waiting for a banquet to be prepared!"

Noel almost felt overwhelmed by the image; rolling green hills and dense forests, full of deer and wild boars, ready to bring back to a table laden with fruit and bread and bowls of thick soup and silver carafes full to the brim with wine, all being picked at and drunk from by countless ladies and gentlemen of the highest pedigree, all smiling and laughing and having the time of their lives...

He saw himself at the head of the table, his wife by his side, Niles and C.C. sat in the seats reserved for the guests of honour.

It was an image he'd never thought possible. Up until now, the nobility had been perfectly happy to come to him for jewellery, and to Margaret for clothes, but as a bastard son with no title of his own, they had been shunned in all other aspects of public and private life.

They were wanted only when they were useful: when they were trading. But it would've been seen as social suicide to associate with them at any other time.

Maybe...maybe having a completely new title, not inherited but earned, would make things different? It certainly would, for his and Margaret's children. They would grow up to being part of the most exclusive circles in English society, and would never have to worry about making a living or finding suitable partners. They'd grow up being someone and having a place in polite society, which wasn't something Noel or Margaret had had when growing up.

They'd have a better and far easier time than their parents had had, and Noel couldn't thank the Heavens enough for that.

"I…I'd be delighted to receive you, Your Majesty," he said, bowing to the king (he would have even kissed his feet, but Niles might have considered that a little bit too much). "You'll always be welcome into our home, wherever that might be."

"I'm glad to hear so, Your Grace," said the king. "Now, what do you say if you come with me to my office? The other members of the Privy Council are already gathered, and waiting for us."

Noel paused, his body jolting a little as he blinked. Wait...what? The Privy Council? What were they waiting for them for?

Well, obviously, they'd be waiting for Niles – he was their king, after all – but what would they want with him? He wasn't anybody to the most powerful men in the land – new title or not, they didn't know his name, they had no evidence of his wealth...a few of them might even know of him as the late Lord Babcock's bastard son!

There had to be some reason for his required presence, though, so as Niles ordered the guards and some stewards to help get Laurens from the carriage and up to Dr Potts' quarters (he expected it done swiftly but carefully), Noel gently probed into what that reason could be.

There was only one that he could think of, off the top of his head. It would most likely be the only thing going through Niles' head, too.

"Are we to discuss my sister's kidnapping?"

Niles' mouth formed a line as he watched the men carry Laurens into the palace, before answering Noel.

"That is to be the first and most urgent item on our agenda! But you will, of course, also be introduced to the other council members so they know who you are when you take your seat," the king turned and began to hurry inside. "But we are wasting time and my beloved is out there, still! Come on – we mustn't be late for the meeting!"

The pace at which Noel had to travel to keep up with the king barely left him room for thought to process this new information. He was going to sit on the Privy Council?! The highest of all government, the closest men to the king in the land?!

He would've tried to thank his brother-in-law for yet another tremendous honour, but he was already finding it hard enough to breathe as they practically ran through the palace towards the king's office!

The meeting room was packed when they got there. It seemed as though all the lords had made it, no matter where they had been called from, or what they had been doing.

Not that they were particularly happy about it. It was barely after midnight, and they had been dragged from their beds to their regular meeting place by the news of King Joseph's death, and the announcement of an emergency session by...well, they supposed he was King Niles now.

It was about the only thing of which they could be sure, and the only thing keeping them focused on their duty, instead of going home. The country was in turmoil due to King Joseph's chronic monetary mismanagement of the state's finances. To boot (and given that his death had come like a bolt from the blue) they had to organise both a burial and a coronation, two things that took time, money and countless hours of hard work.

They were murmuring hurriedly and worriedly amongst themselves when Niles and Noel burst in through the main doors.

The king had been thinking about how he'd enter the room for some time. He'd wanted right from the start to give off the impression that he was going to be strong with them and not take any nonsense, so he kept himself proud and upright as he marched purposefully into the room.

It was a good sign, he thought, that they all rose from their seats to greet him, despite the late-slash-early hour, and he offered them a nod and a few words in return.

"Greetings to you, my lords."

"Greetings...Your Majesty," was the most common, careful reply. They weren't used to referring to him by that title yet, and they weren't sure at all how to acknowledge the man who had come in with him – they were certain they had seen him before...selling jewellery, perhaps?

The muttering soon went about, exchanging ideas and thoughts, underneath breaths so the king couldn't hear, and the rest fell into place with at least most of them.

That was it! That man was their fellow councilman's – the late Stewart Babcock, the Duke of Belford's – bastard son! The one who worked the merchant's trade, keeping himself out of the gutter he was born into!

What could he possibly be doing there? Why was he following the king around like a lost dog?

But Niles didn't notice the looks on their faces, aimed at Noel. He was just trying to get comfortable with them calling him "Your Majesty", as they seemed to be practising it and trying it out – they were, really, all navigating this new course together. They had as much to learn as he did.

And one of the things he had to get used to was taking his father's throne, at the head of the table. But he supposed that would come, in good time.

Before anything happened whatsoever, he had to introduce the newest council member.

"This is Lord FitzStewart, the new Duke of Marlborough. He shall be joining us on the Privy Council from now on."

That (obviously, in Noel's mind, as he began to cringe with shame) led to an outcry from the other lords present, as they began to loudly complain. Shouts of "shameful!" and "unworthy!" could easily be heard, while the clear words "slut mother" got a smattering of laughter.

Noel felt his cheeks begin to burn, both with anger and humiliation. Of course they didn't want him there, and of course they'd insult his parentage along the way! Who wanted a bastard at a table full of men with noble blood, and who wasn't going to make fun of the fact that he wasn't like them?

"Your Majesty," one of them began, clearly trying not to be openly rude to his king, even as he let his colleagues abuse Noel. "Forgive my impertinence, but this is highly irregular! To allow this...man...to sit on our council––"

"_Our_ council?" Niles barked in return, glaring at the man.

He'd heard every word they'd said, and he'd seen the face Noel had pulled as he'd been stood there, clearly wishing he could sink into the floor.

He wasn't going to have his brother-in-law, who'd been nothing but a good, noble friend, be treated like he was nothing! He had done nothing to deserve it, and everything to have earned his position!

He'd earned it more than practically anybody else there. Joseph had mostly surrounded himself with rich men who'd agree with everything he said, for the right price, and it was obvious the councillors had let it go to their heads!

But he was going to put a stop to that. This was his council now. He said who stayed and who went. And he was going to show them exactly who was in charge, because it certainly wasn't them.

The man who'd spoken tried to stutter out an excuse, "W-what I meant, my lord, was that––"

"I know exactly what you meant, councilman. You meant that Lord FitzStewart is unworthy of his place," he said, not leaving time for the other lord to answer. "But I know him better than any of you here, so as far as I'm concerned, he's already earned his place on this council while the rest of you have yet to prove yourselves. I shall not take kindly to his mistreatment. And if I hear so much as one more word against him or his parentage, the perpetrator will lose any chance he might've had at earning his seat. Are we clear?"

The muttered, embarrassed replies of obedience told him he had, and, satisfied, he gestured for Noel to take the empty seat not far from his own. He could keep an eye on him from there, and see that there were no small rebellions against his word from the others.

He had to get the meeting started, though, which happened as he seated himself, with the council members followed suit.

"I declare this Privy Council meeting to have officially begun," he declared aloud, starting to get the feeling of the power that he now held.

It was...useful. He liked it a lot, and he'd like it more if his reason for calling the meeting went through quickly. He had a wife and a child to look for, and a lengthy meeting simply didn't go well with that schedule. This was a mere formality – he would be informing his Council about the steps they were going to take, and they were to obey. They had no choice.

They were racing against time – his child would be born mere days from then! He had to get to them, and he needed all the help he could get.

"I apologise for disturbing you all on such short notice," the new King said to the members of the Council, "But I am afraid the situation we are facing is dire and requires us taking urgent action."

The councilmen shared wary looks – the king wasn't being very specific about which of the many metaphorical wildfires he was referring to. Again, the country was in turmoil, the people were on the verge of rising against their masters if their dire situation didn't see any sort of short-term betterment, they were riddled with debts and they had to somehow gather the remaining pieces of the kingdom their late king had very nearly run into the ground – there were too many loose strings that needed seeing to for the Council to know exactly which of them took precedence above all others.

"What is it that you need us to do, Your Majesty?" said one of the councilmen, whom the others had chosen as spokesman for them all.

"Find my wife," he said simply. "The Lady Babcock – now the Queen of England – and our child, whom she is currently carrying in her womb."

The confused uproar that followed from the rest of the table told Niles that that wasn't the answer they'd expected.

And indeed, it was far from what they had been imagining their new king might say! The man wasn't exactly known for keeping just one woman apart from this new, long-term mistress, and to suddenly hear, from nowhere and with no prior warning, that he had married her?! The Queen Mother's former lady-in-waiting, the disgraced, fallen daughter of the Duke of Bedford?! The apparent legitimate half-sister of the man King Niles was letting sit with them at the table (and who was now being eyed by practically everyone present)?!

He had – willingly, and before God – chosen to marry that harlot and had allowed her to carry his legitimate child, instead of a bastard he could either give a title and an education to, or simply turn out onto the streets as he wished when he was done with his little flight of fancy?!

The premise was incredible – unbelievable! It defied everything they'd known about him whilst he'd been a prince, and it roused their curiosity for the outrageous just as much as it shocked them that something so outrageous had happened in the first place!

"When did this happen, my lord?!" asked one council member from the other end of the table.

"Eight months ago; there were more than enough witnesses to make it legal, including Lord FitzStewart," Niles replied firmly, trying not to snap but failing.

He felt his patience growing even shorter than when they had been attacking Noel. All he wanted was for the lords to agree to what he was saying - he wasn't there to stand around and answer every question under the sun about his marriage that they wanted the answers to!

But the lords, as they muttered amongst themselves, each still looking at him and at Noel (who was perhaps remaining silent for his own good for now), weren't going to give up asking what they wanted to ask. King Niles' answer had just come over as defensive to more than a couple of them. Who immediately replied to a question by informing everybody how legal a wedding carried out in secret was? Especially a wedding to a little strumpet who had only come into his life to serve as a bed warmer, but hadn't yet grown cold.

That didn't sit well with them. The fact that it had been done in secret in the first place when so many knew the groom (and who knew how many had actually "known" the bride?) didn't sit well with them, either.

And they were determined to probe further.

Another council member, determined to ask but keeping it delicate (out of fear, not because he had any good opinion on the Lady Babcock), posed the question to start it all off.

"My lord...with all due respect, no one would dare to question the legal status of your...nuptials," he said. "But you must agree that this all seems rather...strange, to the previously uninformed?"

Niles stared at the man, his mouth forming a hard line, "What are you talking about?"

"Well, it is highly unusual for a distinguished person such as yourself, the noblest among nobles, to stage a wedding in secret, and to not inform even your privy council until months after the occasion!" the man explained quickly. He was feeling the heat of the stare his monarch was giving him. "It just...it seems as though there must be...well, some other reason for you not telling!"

Niles felt his skin starting to prick with the burning heat his eyes were staring into the man.

"You are taking umbrage with the way I chose to conduct my marriage?" he asked, his voice bordering on dangerous.

The man shrank visibly in his seat, "N-no, my lord! Some of us here just...believe it might be possible that you did not marry for love. After all, we are all grown men aware of the goings-on between the two of you. We...there have been whispers around that you might have gotten Lady Babcock into trouble, and you have simply had to...save face? By marrying in secret?"

The deathly silence that permeated the room after that was only broken when the building rage inside Niles had to finally burst out.

"What did you just say to me?!"

The floundering lord immediately tried to cover himself, "I-it was merely a passing thought, Sire, that some of us had expre––"

Niles cut him off by leaping up from his seat, causing all the lords to move back in their own, including Noel (though he moved in the direction of the lord who had spoken, prepared to hold him down if necessary while Niles socked him). Not that the king cared how concerned it was making them – he had just been insulted beyond all reason!

How dare some wheedling, crawling little councilman who clearly had no idea what he and C.C. had been through – were still going through, in her suffered absence! – presume to tell him why he had married his love! And for what?! To satisfy their own smug gratifications?! To relish in gossip that wasn't even true?! To smirk and have their fun at their king and queen's expense, whilst the couple in question continued to suffer because they just wouldn't obey, as they had been told to?!

"You dare to say any of that to me?!" he snarled right at the lord, slamming his closed fist against the table and his voice getting louder with every word. "You feel you have the right?! My wife – whom I married for love – is missing and you sit here and smirk at me as though the matter is of no importance, and then insult me to my face about my own choices that I made because I wanted to! I was not forced, by circumstances or otherwise! Do you think me completely stupid and incapable?!"

Of course, the simpering little nobody then tried to defend himself, as though he even had a chance of being listened to after what he'd just said, "Absolutely not, my King! I merely posed to you a concerning thought tha––"

"Your only concern now should be keeping your mouth shut, if you wish to keep your position on this council!" Niles snapped. He then glared around the rest of the gathered councillors. "And the same might be said for the rest of you, too! Especially any of those disgusting little snakes who believe that my beloved was merely my mistress, until I made her more! There was nothing untoward going on between us, and nothing in the regard you all smirk like teenage boys at happened until our wedding night! As such, I suggest that you should all keep quiet, unless you wish to find yourself a whole lot less powerful in the next sixty seconds!"

He waited in the silence that followed for somebody to make a wrong move, or say the wrong word. He wasn't about to waste his time with insolent councilmen who insulted their king's decisions, implied his wife was a whore he'd kept around like a pet, and dithered on the basis of literally nothing when they could be getting down to the business of finding his beloved wife.

But nobody said a word, even as he and Noel both swept angry gazes across the table. Several of the gathered men ducked their eyes away, not wanting to meet his own, in particular. They clearly didn't want to be involved in the king's wrath – over his new wife or otherwise. Obviously, these were more sensible men who favoured their position too much to do something as idiotic as insulting the monarch.

Or the soon-to-be co-monarch.

He might be able to work with those men. They'd certainly see the sense in his order to make finding the queen and the heir to the throne their top priority.

And if they didn't, he'd be sure to deal with them – just like he'd dealt with this fool that his father had obviously trusted enough, even if that truly meant less than nothing when it came right down to it.

When it became clear that no one was going to be so stupid as to try to challenge him again, or to insult him or his love with their degrading little ideas, he continued.

It was about time he told them all the whole truth – the part they'd have heard in good time (meaning, when Niles deemed it necessary), if one of them hadn't been so keen to jump into the fray and gotten himself into more trouble than he'd ever found himself in.

"I did not tell any of you about my marriage, gentlemen, because of your close proximity to my father," he explained loudly.

He wasn't going to quieten down when he was sure to keep them listening this way. He wasn't about to have his authority undermined by dropping his anger as soon as it became obvious no one was going to argue – that could still change at any moment.

His continuation after a short pause proved that it hadn't changed just yet.

"It was also for this very reason that my wife and I hadn't told anybody beyond family and close friends, either! How could we, when we knew that we could be betrayed at any moment, should somebody choose to speak up out of malice?! My father dealt with her presence when he'd imagined that she was my mistress, so we had accepted his slanderous words, even if only to keep him from realising there was more to our relationship than he had so disgustingly thought. We knew he thought of her as common trash that would never make for a wife! He had imagined my wife a whore, when in reality, she had remained a virgin until our wedding night! And that is the reason I will not hear, nor stand for any vicious rumours about why I choose to be with her! She was never a whore - you viciously made up and accepted these vile rumours yourselves! I am and have been in love with my wife all this time. But my father, being the...man he was when I first married, would never have listened to my wants or needs, even if it made me happy. Not now, if he were walking among us to hear it, or back then, when he was still strutting about as though he were some prized fighting cock, calling himself the king of this country! And his feelings all came about because my wife was apparently not of the correct social station, in his mind! It didn't even matter to him that we conceived as quickly as possible after marriage, in order to ensure its legitimacy!"

He stared them all down, daring them to speak. When he found no resistance, he continued.

"We are having a baby – the heir to this country and to the throne that governs it all! And my father, despite knowing this and being well aware that my wife was carrying his unborn grandchild plotted to force us apart anyway! Two days ago, my wife was snatched from my hunting lodge – the place I had deemed safe for her to inhabit until she could return to Court. He then, of course, lied through his teeth straight to my face and told me that she was dead! Told his own son that he'd had his wife killed for his own good! He'd left me to suffer! He knew I'd seen the massacre his men had carried out on my home, murdering my servants and leaving their bodies to rot! It was by the grace of God himself that one managed to survive. He told my sister-in-law and the Royal Physician that he had seen my wife being taken. He'd heard that our child was to be sold to a noble family, and that my beloved would be held captive in the meantime! The servant is...too weak from his wounds to tell us much more, currently, but he may be able to tell us who carried out the plan, once he has returned to full strength. But we must keep looking in the meantime!"

He was on the verge of losing it in a frustrated rage, but he kept holding on. He had to hold on – he had no other choice! His beloved was out there, somewhere, in a land that could take months to scour fully and not even weeks away from...from not being anywhere, while their child would be spirited away and he'd never see him!

He'd lose his family before he'd even really managed to have one. His C.C. would be buried in the ground and his child would grow up somewhere he would never find him...

He was desperate. And it came over that way to the ministers as they gasped and chattered in a panicked fashion amongst themselves, one or two occasionally shouting out in either disbelief or outrage.

They had never seen a king looking so helpless, nor so angry all at once! And not one of them had ever imagined that their current king would have ever spoken of his father in such a manner – he had once idolised that man!

But King Niles would never lie to them about such a thing – why would he? He had never been one to be secretive before, even for things that, perhaps, should have been! All of these things had clearly and obviously happened, and – whatever they themselves thought of King Joseph – King Niles now clearly hated his father for them. That was a more than reasonable stance to take, really. What had King Joseph been thinking, when he'd turned on his own people like that?! He'd had his servants killed for seeing what he'd done?! He'd ordered his own soldiers to murder, because of his pride! He'd sent his pregnant daughter-in-law, who had never been as dishonourable as everybody had been saying, away to die and his grandchild to be sold!

His Majesty's lady wife – the queen of their country...! It still seemed so odd to allow those words into their heads, when only moments ago they had imagined her as a slave to the most basic carnal desires, and a stubborn blight on the reputation of the crown! But...well, they couldn't let themselves think it again (especially not out loud). And they had to act. Her Majesty was missing and could soon be dead if they didn't find her in time! And it was all King Joseph's fault!

And, just as importantly, she was pregnant with the (actually proven and declared) legitimate heir to the throne! Having a missing queen was bad enough, but for them to also have a missing heir...! It didn't bear thinking about, the kind of chaos that could happen if they didn't find them before the last of her terms was up!

There was no time to waste. They had to get their people moving, searching and leaving no stone unturned as they went!

They'd do it in spite of their former king's obvious dislike for her, and in spite of the rumours that had poisoned their minds against her before. They weren't going to betray their country over what they had thought – not like he had, from the moment he'd decided to send Her Majesty away to the moment he'd ordered his servants to be put to the sword!

Granted, they could never say so aloud. He was still their former king and had put them all where they still were today (whether it was truly deserved or not). But it was impossible to deny in this case that his own selfishness and bad habits had gotten them where they were right then – missing a queen and an heir! He'd betrayed them, and then killed himself in a drunken stupor and gotten out of it before he could face the consequences! A country on the brink of anarchy, all because he did not like the woman that his son loved!

Not that any of them knew much about Lady Babcock – nothing beyond what her father had mentioned before. For all they knew, the king had simply taken a fancy to a woman looking to manipulate her way back into the very heart of the nobility, and who also knew how to work her feminine wiles and get what she wanted – namely, a marriage.

But they would probably not get to say that, with their king, and his brother-in-law, sat there...

At any rate, the king clearly wanted her more than anything. And no matter what, they couldn't let him go back to the anger he'd held for just one of them before – it would be all their positions on the line if they did! They couldn't afford it, and they couldn't afford to leave Her Majesty where she was!

She was running out of time, and it was time for them to clean up the messes that Joseph had left for them, and turn back everything that he had tried and ultimately failed to do, before it all came to pass simply because it was too late.

They had to find Her Majesty and her unborn child. There was no other course of action, no other options or excuses to be made, and they could very easily and happily curse the former king for it while simultaneously blessing the cup of wine that had sent him out that window.

If they were going to find their queen and the heir, they were going to do it well and wholeheartedly.

"What are you intending to do, my lord, about resources for finding Her Majesty?" one council member piped up. "If there are too few men here in numbers to search far enough, my own should be able to cover a greater surface area..."

"Mine will also be able to cover more ground if they are required, my lord," another cut in. "What else is being done in this search, that we might be able to help?"

Niles thought about it, returning to his seat and feeling...not calmer about their new behaviour, but more at ease knowing that they were now being cooperative. He wasn't going to be fully calm until C.C. was back at his side, and their baby was safely in their arms.

If all went well, that could be soon.

If it went well. It was the largest search for a needle in a haystack that had ever been carried out, though – he had no idea who it was that done this! Where in the country did these people live? Were they noble? Were they simply rich? Did they have no children of their own and were looking for babies, or did they only have daughters and were hoping on getting a son?

He just didn't know. All he knew was that they had to be wealthy enough to pay for a kidnapping. And even though he was doing all he could, it made him feel useless.

"I have already ordered more of my own men to take extra patrols and to search every wealthy household they come across. I have even asked them to stop all wealthy traders and carts they come across on the roads," he said. "However, this measure cannot be maintained for long. As much as it pains me to say this, we must encourage trade if we want to satisfy out financial needs. But I want to confirm that they are not keeping my wife on the move, and every household that appears wealthy enough to have done this is due to be searched. I will need all of your men and all the guards this country has to cover the ground we will need to be searching, as well as the help of the people. I will also post a ten thousand pound reward and a knighthood for anybody with information that leads to my wife's safe return."

"You may or may not need to do that, Sire," another councilman nodded solemnly. "We are all behind you here – our men and our supplies are at your disposal."

Niles felt gratitude growing in his heart, and it made him wonder very briefly if he'd been slightly unfair to at least some of them for suggesting that his father hadn't known what he was doing when he'd placed them on his privy council. They might have had some fools (and snobs, who had laughed at his brother-in-law), but they were trustworthy and determined to help with everything they had, now that they understood the situation.

And that was more than enough for him.

"Thank you, gentlemen. Now, we can say that we have a plan of action on this matter," he leaned back a little in his seat. "That will be implemented, no matter what takes place. And the same can be said for my next two orders of business, the first being a change to the law of succession. I am hereby declaring that the law shall be based on absolute primogeniture, so that if anything should happen to myself or my wife, our unborn child will inherit the throne with no arguments from anybody, even if it is a girl. I will not have my daughter displaced or cast aside for any man, no matter what anybody thinks or feels."

Even as he spoke, the council began to mutter amongst themselves again, getting a little loud about how "right" and "proper" that was for their liking. But a look from Niles shut them all up fairly quickly; after what had just happened, they didn't want to get back in his bad books so soon.

And especially not over something that wouldn't affect them much just yet. The heir wasn't even born – they had a king for now, and he was about to say the second order of business he had planned.

"And I intend to let my father pass into history without ceremony. There will be no state funeral or national mourning; I have selected a tomb for him in a graveyard that is barely used anymore, just a little way outside of London. It will be marked with the basics and cost us nothing. I feel it is all he deserves."

The council made less of a fuss over this. They completely agreed that what Joseph had done was cruel, unreasonable and had nearly led to a total crisis in his country. It was an act of betrayal, and traitors didn't deserve a glorified remembrance.

They were much happier with their new king, and readily agreed to the term before he spoke (satisfied with their answer to his suggestion) again.

"Before I bring this session to an end in order to implement that plan, are there any other orders of business that need to be discussed?"

One of the lords started to bring up another subject that Niles could only half pay attention to as the meeting went on. It wasn't that it was too early, or that he had exhausted himself from using so much energy in putting his council members in their places - it was the lingering thought of his wife and unborn child, out there somewhere, and he as of yet had no idea when or where they would be found.

But, with the help of his privy council and all the resources they could throw at it, he had a renewed hope that their reunion would be soon, no matter where it ended up taking place.


	32. Chapter 32

_**Chapter 31**_

The morning was bright, and the smell of freshly baked bread wafted into Lord Carlisle's nostrils as he came down to breakfast. He'd had an excellent night's sleep, and he was intending to start the new day with good cheer. And he felt that was done perfectly with a good boiled egg, and some of that delicious bread.

Lady Babcock would've gotten some of it too, for her own breakfast - not that he wanted to feed her, he just wanted to be sure that the baby would live and be as strong as it could be. He might even go up to her room to check that she'd eaten it.

But that was a thought for later. For now, it was time to fill his own stomach. His wife was already at the table when he arrived, some of the bread already on her plate, accompanied by hard cheese and fruit.

"Good morning, my dear," he greeted, taking his place at the head of the table. "Did you sleep well?"

"Deeply and peacefully, my lord," she replied happily. "I have never felt better than I do this very moment."

"Excellent," Carlisle beamed and nodded. He started to cut away pieces of the bread, grabbing at loose crumbs of cheese as well. "Nothing like starting the day off just so, is the–"

The rhetorical question was cut off, however, with the hurried arrival of a messenger through the door that the servants took to travel to and from the kitchen.

And immediately Carlisle's mood was put on edge, "What the Devil do you think you're doing, man? Don't you know how to knock, or to wait to be announced?"

The man practically skidded to a halt on the floor, catching his breath back.

"Begging your pardon, my lord," he panted. "But I bring...urgent news, from the palace."

Carlisle's brow creased. The palace? What news could be coming from there that was so important as to disturb his breakfast? Did the King need them to dispose of the bitch faster than expected?

How were they supposed to get their baby then? Neither one knew what to do to carry out a caesarean...

Well, they would see what it involved. He waved a hand, indicating for the man to continue, "Well, get on with it then, man!"

The messenger pulled an official-looking writ from his bag, and he began to read it aloud.

"It is with great sorrow that the death of His Majesty, King Joseph of House Brightmore, must be announced to his loyal subjects. He shall be succeeded forthwith by his only son, His Royal Highness the Prince Niles, Prince of Wales. As his first act as King, His Majesty will offer a knighthood and a ten-thousand pound reward in exchange for information as to the whereabouts of his wife, Her Majesty Queen Chastity-Clai–"

The messenger never finished reading. Carlisle had snatched the writ out of his hands before he could. Then, dismissing the messenger with one hand (despite the man's protests that he hadn't been paid), he began to read it for himself. His wife, who had leapt out of her chair upon hearing the messenger's final revelation, read desperately from over his shoulder.

It was true. All of it!

They'd be dead if the new king found out what they'd done! Capturing the new queen and holding her prisoner?! Abusing her (as much as they dared) for their own amusement, when she was pregnant with a child (their promised child) that would now be heir to the throne?!

It would be seen as treason!

And everyone knew what happened to traitors...

Carlisle swallowed to himself. They had to think of a plan, and they had to think of it quickly.

"What are we going to do?!" his wife suddenly screeched. "The slut isn't ready yet and we can't get rid of her until we've gotten the baby out!"

Carlisle shook his head and waved a dismissive hand, "The new king doesn't even know she's here! That will buy us some time. We can see to it that the baby is delivered and she is...disposed of, before he even comes looking! The whore is close anyway – she can't stay this big for much longer."

They'd tried for years now to have their own children, but all their attempts had been in vain. That was why it had been more than a bargain, paying King Joseph and getting rid of the whore all at once. They could easily pass themselves off as the baby's birth parents, fool King Niles if he ever did happen to come looking, and discreetly leave the slut that England currently had the misfortune to call its queen dead where no one would find her. She'd disappear for good and everyone would assume that her baby had disappeared with her!

The couple then shared a malicious, gleeful smirk – the whore deserved what she was getting by way of a few more days of life and then a shallow grave, and they'd be getting what they deserved in the form of a long-awaited and hoped for child and heir!

The arrogant little cow should have thought better than to try and occupy a place that did not belong to her. Her father might have been a rich nobleman, but the moment the title had passed on to her cousin, she'd become absolutely worthless.

How dare a maid even dream of marrying a prince, let alone actually do it? That prince was a king now, and needed a royal bride of his same station – a bride that prided herself in having impeccable pedigree and a generous dowry. The throne wasn't meant for a self-important floor-scrubber who'd used her feminine wiles to snare his feeble heart, and the place of heir could never be occupied by a child from any such union!

No, a proper lady should sit there, just like the late King Joseph had wanted.

They'd make sure his orders were still carried out. They'd never let King Niles know that his whore was in their possession, and she'd disappear without him ever knowing who was involved.

However, even if following King Joseph's orders was their God-given task and pleasure, life was not all work and no fun without a reward, was it?

Nobody said they couldn't toy with their little prisoner before the end, couldn't they? And no one had made mention of what they were to do with the child, if it was born - that meant it was free for the taking, didn't it?

And both Carlisles knew the way to hit their "queen" where it hurt the most would be to go and remind her once more of that fact. Along with the idea that her lord "husband" was coming so close to finding her but never would.

So, they left the remains of their breakfast and began to make their way upstairs, towards the room that they had been keeping her locked and chained in (it was generous of them to provide such a comfortable one, considering who she was) while she was still useful.

Only they had any copies of the key to her room, so she'd know exactly who it was when they came in.

They burst through the door, jovial and jeering, and found her sat up as much as she could in her bed, arms around her belly.

Not that it would make a difference, in the end.

"Well, look who finally heard the morning bells!" Carlisle sneered. "You won't have heard the news yet, I expect?"

That was C.C.'s prompt to speak, but she held her stomach a little tighter when she did, keeping her voice sarcastic as she spoke, "With someone around here who loves the sound of his own voice as much as you do, Carlisle, why would I bother getting my news from anywhere else?"

"Shut your mouth before I do it for you!" Lady Carlisle spat at the insolence, before getting on with the point. "We're doing you a service and bringing the best news in the entire world, you stupid little slut!"

"It is certainly excellent news, my dear," Carlisle smiled. It wasn't a friendly smile. "We have a new king!"

C.C. gasped, covering her mouth with one hand. That sentence could only mean one thing...

Niles...he was king now?! But...but what?! What had happened?! King Joseph had been in perfect health, the last C.C. had seen! How could it be that he'd suddenly died and left the throne vacant for his son...?

It wasn't adding up in her head!

"That's right," Carlisle said darkly. "Your oh-so-wonderful husband, your sweet and adoring Niles, is now king."

Hearing it again just let the fog of dazed shock and confusion descend even more over her. King...her Niles...her husband was now king...! C.C. couldn't believe it – she knew it would have to happen someday, but she had never imagined that it would be so soon! She'd never thought it would end up this way!

Her head was truly spinning...

That would all mean...mean that she...she had to be Queen, didn't she?!

If Niles was king, that had to mean that she was his queen! And if she was queen and Niles was king, he'd have to be sending someone to come rescue her! He might even do it himself!

That was the Niles she knew – the brave, romantic man she'd married...

"What're you gawking for?!" Lady Carlisle snapped at the expression that had come over her face. "Are you expecting us to bow and call you 'Your Majesty'?"

"We will, if you want us to," Carlisle continued nonchalantly, starting to pace. "It's only right that the Queen of Whores be given her proper form of address..."

Lady Carlisle moved to wrap her arm around her husband's waist, her malicious grin having grown into a wide mocking smile. She was thoroughly enjoying this – toying with the bitch who thought herself worthy enough to be England's new queen. Both Carlisles could tell she was in both mental and physical pain, and they intended to inflict more of both upon her.

And C.C. could tell that it was coming; even with her heart about to crack in two, she knew that it wouldn't be enough for them until it had shattered completely.

The final blow was only a breath away.

"Of course, this Queen of Whores isn't going to have an heir," said Lady Carlisle, sticking her with a contemptuous look.

C.C. stiffened and glared at the hateful pair in return, her hands immediately clasping as tight as possible over her belly, protective and defiant. She knew what they intended to do – Joseph had told them (over a purse of gold) that they were welcome to her child. She was trying desperately to prove with every fibre of her being that they were not.

Not that either seemed to take a blind bit of notice at that.

"Indeed she shall not," supported Lord Carlisle with a smirk. "She will give birth, but that child shall then become our own. And, once that is over, we'll have no more need for her. And there is a delightful patch of forest not far from the house, perfect for the grave of a whore that nobody will miss."

The implication was clear in his tone, and C.C. felt a terrifying chill come over her entire body.

As much as she wanted to stand up and fight, she would also have run in overwhelming fear, then, if such a thing was possible – run far away, and found somebody who could take her back to her Niles! If she was the Queen now, she could do that!

She...would have been able to do that, if she had been able to walk by herself...

But she couldn't. Her belly was too large, and even if it wasn't, it wasn't like the Carlisles would unchain her from the bed and let her go. All she could do was fight from where she was, and protect her baby with the growing anger that she now felt inside. Anger, at their audacity, and at their declaration that they would take away the child that she had made with her love.

Her love, who was now their king.

"You bastards!" she growled, prompting a deathly silence to take over the room. "You'll never have my baby! The king, my husband, will have both your heads for this, and then you'll be left headless as well as heirless!"

For a virtually endless minute, Lord and Lady Carlisle stood opposite to her, eyes wide open in shock. Had someone dropped a bodkin, the noise would have echoed all over the house.

"Did Her Majesty the Slut just talk back again?"

Lord Carlisle's voice was even and soft, but the threat in his words was clean-cut. C.C. could feel her muscles tensing up – definitely her flight instinct, which she'd trained tirelessly since she'd been at the house – and her heartbeat speeding up.

She knew she stood no chance at getting up and outrunning the Earl, nor was she strong enough to fight him off, but she stood her ground (metaphorically speaking).

She was Queen of England, and she was going to uphold the long, proud line by being as strong as any of her predecessors.

Even as the man stalked towards her.

"I am your queen now," she tried to say it without letting her lip tremble. "Scum like you have no right to tell me that I shouldn't talk whenever I like!"

"You're no queen," Lady Carlisle snarled. "You're a disgusting, unworthy wench!"

"And you know what happens to disgusting, unworthy wenches who talk back, don't you?" he asked threateningly. "My dearest darling wife, we know what happens, don't we?"

Lady Carlisle grinned, "We certainly do know, my love."

C.C. held still, trying not to swallow. She couldn't cry, or show that she was afraid at all. That would only earn her a worse punishment.

Worse than what was about to happen, and that was saying something.

He was close enough now to do what he wanted.

"Yes...they get their beatings!" Carlisle snarled, lashing out with his hand.

His palm caught C.C. across her face, causing her to cry out. When she weakly felt around the area, it felt delicate, like the skin was already bruising.

She might've even had a cut there, on her lip...

She whimpered at the pain, but she didn't have time to recover before the next blow came to her other cheek.

That one, though not as hard, still almost knocked her sideways onto her bed. It was probably what Carlisle was after.

"You're lucky I only did it twice," the Earl snarled at her. "Talk back to me again, Your Majesty, and it'll be more."

Catching her breath back, C.C. lifted her head and looked Carlisle defiantly in the eyes, "You...are the kind of snakes that my husband will have killed every day."

She knew it would have consequences. It always did. But she did it anyway – she wasn't going to let them break her will, in place of a body they needed in good working order.

It had to fight harder, knowing it was protecting her baby growing inside her as well...

And the Earl was soon trying his hardest to snap that will in two – his hand stung as it slapped her, all the way across her arms and legs, careful only to avoid her belly, darkening some old bruises and creating some fresh ones. She closed her ears to his screamed abuse, his wife's shrieking jeers, even the sound of her own cries of pain...

But some of the jeers did still stand out, and they were coming from the woman mocking her as she was beaten.

"Is that a ring on your finger?! You won't be needing that anymore, will you...?!"

C.C. felt her eyes widen without even meaning to, as her heart started to speed up for a completely different fear. Her engagement ring! She'd reasoned with herself that it would be safer on her person than if she'd tried to hide it somewhere in the room – maybe because she'd been overwhelmed by the idea of taking it off, or because she wanted to have something Niles gave her close by. She didn't know anymore. She didn't care.

All that currently mattered was pulling her hand out the way as Lady Carlisle swooped down to rip it from her finger.

"This ring is worth more than your entire estate!" C.C. screeched.

Unwisely. For as much as the ring was worth the world to her, Lord Carlisle was happy to land another blow to her face as payment, just in time for his wife to pin C.C.' arm down and take the ring by force. Lady Carlisle pocketed the ring, thinking of it as nothing more than a pretty trinket, and let her husband continue to punish their prisoner.

And C.C. felt her heart shatter, as the ring – the symbol of the promise she had made to the love of her life – was snatched away. Gone. Just like she and the baby would be from him, if nothing was done.

The pain didn't stop when it was finally over, either. She felt like she'd been burned all over, and she couldn't muster enough strength to even reach for the cup of water on her bedside table.

She had to watch from the bed as the couple left the room and locked the door, laughing all the way. They were even discussing baby names, doing it loudly enough to break her heart all over again...

Tears pricked at her eyes, and she didn't stop them from coming. They spilled out over her cheeks and dripped onto the sheets as she hung her head and started to sob.

They couldn't have her baby...they couldn't...!

They had to be punished – Niles had to come and take her and the baby away, long before they could complete their plan. He just had to…

When she eventually found enough strength to move, all she could use it to do was roll over slightly, to curl up with her belly facing away from the door.

It was about as much protection as it would get. Between her hand, the mattress and the cool air close to the window, there was some comfort. At least, C.C. liked to think there was.

There would be more, if her husband's arms were around her at that moment.

She knew he was searching – every noble house in the kingdom would get looked at. He had to be on his way, and he had to find them.

She could only hope that he got there before it was all too late.


	33. Chapter 33

_**Chapter 32**_

Lady Elizabeth Carlisle – daughter of Edward Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Escrick, and wife to Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Carlisle, was feeling rather pleased with herself. After two weeks in their home, the whore had finally gone into labour.

She'd tried to hide it, of course – the self-preservation a slut could show was incredible! – but one of their maids had noticed the bed was wet and the sheets stained with blood when she'd gone to give her the tray containing her evening meal, and had immediately sounded the alarm. Even after both had been questioned, the slut had still tried to lie and say that they were nothing – that the blood was from a cut on her thigh or something, which had been easily disproved by a quick check up on her body and by the fact she'd soon started to flinch and groan from the labour pain.

That had been fourteen hours ago.

And, as things appeared to be going currently, it seemed as though they'd be done with the king's whore in no time at all. Which was just as well – they'd been anxiously listening for every cart, horse or carriage that rode anywhere near the house ever since they'd caught word that His Majesty was coming looking for his prized possession. It'd left the house almost unnaturally quiet some days, but that had been better than whatever fate could've awaited them, tenfold.

But the more days that passed by, the more they had begun to grin and snigger between themselves; they'd clearly gotten away with it. And now, they were on the final stretch of the race – nobody was going to come looking for the slut in such a short amount of time, and no one had been seen on the roads today that could have heard all that infernal screaming.

They'd be glad to be rid of that, that was for sure! The labour had to be nearly over by now...

She'd be gone from their lives for good soon enough, which made Elizabeth happy and relieved. Her husband had tried to suggest keeping the slut as some sort of breeding mare, so that they might have more children, but she'd snapped at him to never even think such a thing again. She wasn't about to idly sit around their house while her own husband climbed on top of another woman, whether it had its uses or not!

No, she'd be happy with the one baby they were getting from this, and she'd kill the bitch herself before they found a place to dump her body.

No one was going to find England's so-called "queen"! Not when she was locked up in that room of hers and soon enough it would be like she'd never been there at all. Sadly, that would have to wait until they had their child. Until then, the Carlisles would have to continue putting up with the slut's pained screams. The sound was truly awful, so much so that they'd occasionally shout up the stairs, telling her to shut up and keep it down.

The actual birth had to be soon, and Lady Carlisle couldn't wait. Soon this whole thing would be over – she and her darling husband would have their baby, and they would quickly dispose of the bitch before any search party could arrive!

She was sure the people didn't truly want a lady turned maid as the new Queen of England, either, no matter how much His Majesty wanted his new favourite whore to warm his bed officially, nor how distinguished her origins were. Her father had been a duke, that was true, but she was a no-one now. A simple maid-turned-common-slut who'd stepped over the line. Not the queen that their fool of a king insisted she was.

And Lord and Lady Carlisle could relax (as much as they could, anyway, with the racket going on), her with her tea and him with his book, knowing they had their day to spend while the whore did the hard, painful work of childbearing in another room. Now, if only she'd keep the caterwauling down! Lady Carlisle swore that the longer it had gone on, the louder (and more irritating) it had gotten!

Elizabeth couldn't wait until the bitch was silent forever and she had the only reason for keeping her alive in her arms.

Then, it would all truly be over and done with.

"The silence is going to sound so sweet, the moment it's finished," she commented with a grumble to her husband. "I never thought I'd relish seeing a corpse as much as I'll enjoy seeing that slut's."

Her husband hummed thoughtfully over his book, "It'll certainly nice to _have some peace and quiet around here_!"

He'd said that last part with a crescendo of a shout, aiming it in the direction of the staircase. He groaned and rolled his eyes when it didn't make the bitch shut up at all.

"God, I hope the bitch suffers. She deserves it for all this trouble she's put us to," he threw himself back into his chair again, trying to get back to his book. "If she weren't about to hand us our child, I'd be making sure she was right this instant!"

Lady Carlisle would have spoken up to agree with him again, when their conversation was annoyingly interrupted by the sound of running footsteps and a shout coming from the other room.

A shout that was growing closer.

"My lord! My lady!"

One of the maids. Of course it was, rushing in excitedly, as though she owned the place!

Lady Carlisle could only scowl at her as she hurried to them, thinking that it had better be a damned good reason that the girl had just decided to barge her way in like she had. She didn't quite know what she'd do if the maid had disturbed them for some petty reason – she'd probably see to it that the girl's food rations were reduced for a suitable amount of time. It would teach her to pay attention and not act so presumptuous towards her betters, if she went hungry for a while.

"For your own sake, girl, you had better have a good reason for intruding on our time," Lady Carlisle growled as the maid skidded to a halt.

"Indeed," Lord Carlisle agreed with a snarl, snapping his book shut sharply. "Otherwise we'll have to start thinking of a punishment to put you back in your place, won't we?"

The maid managed a hurried, frightened curtsey before she spoke, "My deepest apologies, my lord and lady! But it is time! The baby is on its way...!"

Lady Carlisle nearly leapt from her seat, not even caring that it would mean she'd spill her tea. She grinned at her husband, who was also getting to his feet. The baby was coming, at last! They would have their child – their heir – and they'd get rid of the slut mother before anybody could find out she'd ever even been there! The king would never find her body with them. They'd keep it all very discreet and no one would realise their involvement.

He'd be forced to look for a new bride, eventually – it had always been common knowledge that he had a large appetite when it came to women, anyway. He'd forget about the slut he'd had and set his sights on a fresh one within a month, at the most!

But, first things first, they had a baby to see delivered. The child that they would raise as their own, and never once mention their common whore of a birth mother to.

Lady Carlisle turned to the maid, "Good. We shall go up immediately!"

Her husband put down his book, and took great strides across the room to follow her and the maid up towards the room they'd been keeping the bitch in.

In truth, Lady Carlisle resented even having to give her that much. She had wanted to put the slut in the cellar, but her husband had pointed out that the baby stood a better chance of living if the mother wasn't completely unhealthy from the damp down there.

She'd begrudgingly had to agree, and comforted herself with the knowledge that it meant their child would be strong. She didn't mind if they didn't have a boy – as she and her husband had rationalised, if they had a girl they could have her marry a nice and promising suitor, and their lineage would live on. Still, they were both aiming for a boy, and should that be the case they'd name him Charles, just like his father.

Of course neither Lady Carlisle nor the child could be seen in society just yet – she couldn't let anyone see her if she wanted them to swallow the story that she'd been pregnant. She'd actually stayed at home for the past few months, and would continue to do so for at least another three months, but once that period was over she and her beloved husband would be able to present their baby in society and simply enjoy from their little miracle.

Contrary to what many would have believed, Lady Carlisle didn't resent the baby's origins – that simply meant that she and her husband would have to make an extra effort to erase any kind of similarity between the child and its birth mother. She and her husband would mould him or her into a true member of their family, and they would dote on him or her, as they would have done with any biological child of theirs.

Years ago, when she and her husband had come to the conclusion they couldn't have children, it had knocked them for six. They hadn't been able to accept the reality that they'd never get the family she wanted. But now that was about to change forever, and from then onwards there would only be happiness and joy.

"Are you ready, dearest?" Charles asked his wife, smiling softly as they neared Lady Babcock's room.

"Readier than ever, my love," replied the countess, returning her husband's smile.

"After you, then," he said, gesturing at the open door that would lead them into the slut's room.

Once they were inside, it was impossible to miss the unfortunate slut they were having to get their gift from. The maids had done as they were told and had moved her from the bed to the birthing chair they'd had made and brought all the way home as soon as they'd agreed on the kidnapping with King Joseph.

It had been an expensive purchase, but it was worth it. They'd have the perfect view of their baby being born, without any of the difficulties that could possibly be involved!

They wouldn't even have to touch the child when it came out! That's what servants were for, which was why one of their maids was currently kneeling between the slut's legs, ready to catch the baby as soon as it was born, so that he could be cleaned and wrapped up before being presented to his parents.

He'd certainly look a prettier sight than the whore who'd birth him – she was sweating profusely, her face was flushed the deepest red that could be imagined, and if either one of the Carlisles cared enough to look closely, they'd have seen without a doubt that she was exhausted.

She wasn't going anywhere, either. Her left ankle was still chained to her bed to prevent that, and her hands were tied to the chair's armrests as per Lord Carlisle's request. She had no choice but to see the couple take up positions watching her in such a humiliating and demeaning position, all while sitting comfortably on two armchairs a foot away from the slut, which offered a fabulous vantage point.

Lady Carlisle snorted the minute she saw her, nodding her head at the slut's legs, "Remember a time when you thought the king was the only one who'd ever look up there?" she asked as she and her husband took their seats.

Her husband snorted out a laugh at his wife's comment, but much to Lady Carlisle's annoyance the person it was aimed for simply didn't react to her mocking. She had heard her, of course, and Lady Carlisle's words had sliced through her like a sharp knife, but C.C. simply couldn't do anything else but continue to push.

Back when she'd first found out she was pregnant, C.C. had never imagined that the birth of her child would be such a traumatic occasion. The day that she'd envisioned as joyous and beautiful, was now bleak and dark, and part of her wished she could keep her baby safe for just a little longer…

Long enough for her husband to find them…

She knew what would happen once the child was out. They'd told her so many a time, relishing in her misery whenever they did it. She didn't want these monsters to raise her baby, not when he or she had a real mother and father that would love him or her with all their heart. It wasn't fair, and C.C. couldn't help but let her tears fall.

They weren't even going to let her hold her child…! She was going to die without being able to hold the precious life she and her husband had created. She was going to die without seeing the adoration and happiness in her husband's eyes. She was going to die alone, and leave behind a broken family.

The thought was overwhelming, shattering her heart into pieces. She couldn't do it anymore – she wasn't going to let them take her baby! They were nothing but thieves and murderers and she wasn't going to let them steal away her family! Even if she already knew she was going to die, she wasn't going to just give them her baby without putting up so much as a fight!

She forced her legs shut as much as she could, screaming out even as she fought to keep her baby with her.

"I'm not doing this! You're not taking my baby! You can't! Please don't!"

But Lady Carlisle had no sympathy for her.

"Shut up and push, you little bitch!" Lady Carlisle ordered sharply, "I don't care if you die doing it, and I certainly don't care about what you want – we want that baby out of you and we are going to get it, one way or the other!"

"And keep your legs open!" her husband cut in, snapping as he leapt forward to force her knees apart. "You managed it for the king, you can do it for us as well!"

C.C. wanted to snap at him to take his filthy hands off her, but she kept her mouth as shut as she could. It wasn't easy – the pain was overwhelming and screaming at least helped her to relieve some of that.

But it did nothing for the fear. The fear of what was coming once this was over. The moment her baby was out and in the arms of the strangers who were stealing it...

It made her want to weep, and a few tears did slide down her cheeks.

But all she could do was keep on bringing the baby into the world. She had no other choice.

So, as much as it hurt her heart as well as the rest of her body, she kept on pushing.

* * *

It was no surprise that, after the announcement had been made, almost every person in his bloody kingdom suddenly knew C.C.'s whereabouts. Niles' men – as loyal and committed to the search as they had always been – had devoted endless hours and resources on these claims, but all of them had led, sooner or later, to a dead end.

As the days had gone past and there were no signs of his beloved wife, Niles' desperation had done nothing but grow.

Laurens still wasn't well enough to speak, which brought a fresh worry every day that he'd maybe succumb before he could even try, and that only made Niles want the men to try even harder themselves. Not that it was working. How could each and every one of their leads still be heading straight to a dead end?! Hadn't they searched every household in the country in the time that they had been looking?! Where was left?! They didn't have long before C.C. would be due to give birth, and all these false claims were just wasting time and money they didn't have or need to spend!

He'd even considered punishing people who made false claims, for being greedy and getting his hopes up where they had no right...

It had gotten so bad that he'd recently asked his soldiers not to come to him unless they had good, true, _provable_ news. He didn't think he could tolerate the disappointment or the heartbreak anymore.

He was sick of running to the door every time a messenger came, only for it to be yet another piece of bad news.

Instead, he devoted himself to his kingdom, and his hard work was already reflecting on the nation's prosperity: England's previously decimated economy was beginning to show signs of recovery, many useful social reforms were being effected, taxes were being slowly reduced, a new (and, frankly, unusual) co-operation between the king and Parliament emerged; England's role in international politics was increasing, and so was the nation's self-confidence and sense of sovereignty.

Niles, like his ancestor, Queen Elizabeth, recognised that monarchy was held in place by the support of his people. As such, he made sure to be just, kind and fair to them. Unlike his father, he regarded his subjects as the backbone of his country's prosperity – he needed them to co-operate and work to raise government revenue – and treated them not as his inferiors, but as his allies, which explained why it hadn't take him long to start winning the affection and the respect of his people.

They wanted to trust their new king, and to believe that he had enough backbone to lead their country into a glorious era.

Some were already saying that a new golden age was coming.

Whispers were spreading throughout the kingdom – whispers of hope, of happiness...

Whispers of their great king and of his quest for his lost wife. The mysterious queen that he would give up his throne for, the stories said...

Niles hurt any time someone reminded him of that little phrase the common folk had made up. As true and as romantic as it was, it made him think of how he'd give up everything he had to have C.C. and their child home with him, wherever that ended up being.

He really would give up the throne, as long as he could have his family…

The current slow night (they'd been getting slower, the further away they got from the date C.C. had disappeared) had found a desperate king on a cold autumn evening. He was, as had become the usual, cooped up in his study and sat at his desk, poring over legal documents but not fully paying attention to them. He was too busy dreading the fact that his wife was out there, heavily pregnant, and so close to giving birth that he could practically feel the day coming on the calendar. It had been too long for their little one to be kept safe inside her any longer, and each day that passed drove him closer to madness with worry. He rarely left the study anymore, preferring to sleep (however much he could – it was more like passing out when it all became too much, really), eat (he pushed most of it, uneaten, around the plates usually) and hold meetings in there, where nobody could bother him.

He tried not to be unkind towards his servants, but more often than not he was courteous but aloof.

Happiness and all peace of mind had evaded him since his family had vanished.

_Knock, knock. _

The sudden noise roused Niles out of his thoughts.

"Come in," he commanded, lowering the parchment he'd been trying to read, if the words had stayed still from where his mind was focused somewhere other than the notions of politics and law.

He didn't know why he'd bothered trying, really. How could his mind stay focused when everyone and everything knew where it really wanted to be?

Whatever was going on had better be worth his time. If not, he thought he might do something desperate that he would probably regret later, like slinging the person who had distracted him in prison for a short spell!

It wouldn't be half as bad as what he would do to the people who were keeping him from his wife and child.

Nonetheless, he looked up.

A guard was stood in the doorway, a serious but ready look on his face.

He looked...like he was about to deliver news?

"Begging your pardon, Your Majesty, but George Laurens has recovered enough from his injuries to have regained his ability to speak. He is waiting for an audience with you."

For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, Niles actually suddenly remembered what hope felt like.

Listening to those words was like being condemned, but listening to a judge granting an appeal and ordering a retrial. It was like finding a light source after being trapped in a cave, or seeing rainclouds on the horizon after a long, desperate drought.

They'd spent that long, first week of Laurens' care in the hands of Dr Potts simply waiting for the man to wake from his near-unconscious state; the week after, when the man had stirred for longer periods, the king had found his hopes of finding out anything dashed when it became (agonisingly) clear that those who'd done the dirty work of murdering an entire household had also smashed several of the butler's teeth. Potts had had the difficult task of removing them, which had left Laurens in too much pain to speak, between his teeth and his stab wound. Anything he had been able to say was slurred anyway, given how much alcohol they'd had to pour into the poor man just so he'd be able to make it through the extraction...

They'd tried to give him a quill to write things down once a few days had passed, but that had only ended in further pain and some slight awkward humiliation when they'd found out that Laurens' arms were broken.

But now...now, they didn't have to worry about that. His arms could be left alone to heal, if he was well enough to speak!

Now was the end of Niles' worries. He knew it. He could feel it! Laurens knew where his beloved was – he'd seen and heard everything! He had regained his voice, and could finally tell them what had happened! All they would have to do was go and get her back!

It would be like she'd never left Niles' side in the first place...

He leapt up from his chair, not hearing or caring if the damned thing fell over in the process. He had more important things to think about - like getting to Laurens and getting that information from him!

"I'm going to him. Come with me, now!"

The guards had no choice but to obey. Even if they had tried to suggest that their king got some sleep first, he wouldn't have listened and would've run quite happily out into the corridors to go to the doctor's chambers by himself. He wasn't about to waste precious hours on something as trivial as sleep when his wife was out there, just waiting for him to come to her!

Potts was waiting by the door to greet him when he arrived. The king had put the doctor and his assistants to the task of personally caring for Laurens when he'd arrived at the palace, to see that he got better and that he was well enough to explain everything.

He didn't know how he was going to thank them all, now that it had worked. But that was a consideration for another date, when he wasn't in so much of a hurry that he barely even stopped to greet anybody.

It was only a matter of moments before he was at Laurens' bedside, staring down at the man, still wrapped in bandages and lighter shadows of what would've once been dark bruises covering his face.

Despite his appearance and his obvious pain and discomfort, the butler gave as much of a smile as he could upon seeing the king approach. The pain must have still been beyond all belief, but the man was fighting through it like a champion.

His voice was strained and a little slurred as he spoke, "Ah...Your...You Majeshty...you are here...for newsh..."

Niles pulled up a chair, sitting as close as possible to make sure he didn't miss a word.

"I am. I am, and I'm not leaving until I've heard everything!" he declared. He then second guessed himself, hesitating. "That is, if you are ready. How are you feeling? Are you well enough to do this?"

Laurens seemed to steady himself, taking in a still shallow but meaningful breath.

"I am...I am. No need to worry for me, Shire..."

Niles didn't think he could do that, but he knew he couldn't stop, either. They had to learn everything, as soon as possible.

"Then tell me, Laurens, as best you can – tell me what you saw the...the day they took my wife...!"

An odd sort of glaze appeared over Laurens' eyes at that moment, and for a split second, Niles feared that the trauma had all been too much and the man had suddenly taken a turn towards the beckoning finger of St Peter, but at last (and much to the king's relief) he began to speak.

"They came...shuddenly...no discrimination when they killed, either. No one...no one was shpared, in their path to Her Majesty. I...I tried my hardesht...I tried to keep them from her. But they got me. Shtabbed me, beat me when I lay on the ground. They musht've...musht've thought I wash dead, or near it. They didn't move me...not even when your lord father came in."

The king's face fell, but he waited for Laurens as patiently as he could to catch his breath back, before the older man continued.

"He told your lady wife he wash going to keep her alive...long enough to shee the baby given to the Earl of Carlisle. Shold to them. He and hish wife were to adopt it. Shee Her Majesty...killed at their home, buried where she would never be found. All of it wash... done on your father'sh ordersh, Shire..."

"Whose men were they?" Niles asked sharply, unable to stand it longer. "Were they ours?"

"No, shir. They weren't. They belonged to...to Lord and Lady Carlisle – your father did not wish to get hish men involved," Laurens said, shaking his head gently. "Those...animalsh are known for cruelty; they kill peasantsh for fun, take their hard-earned money, an' share it with their mashtersh. Mershenaries! And they...they were mosht violent with the queen – they dragged her out of the room! She kicked and shcreamed all the way, but they didn't mind…"

Niles felt the bottom of his stomach drop out as his fists curled up against his leg. A red mist also started to descend over his vision, as his blood boiled in his veins over the thought of anybody daring to lay so much as one finger on his wife! His pregnant wife!

They had been foolish enough to even try grabbing and pulling at their queen?! To show her no gentleness or mercy at a time when she needed it most?!

Those vile men were no better than savages; just like the treacherous lord and lady who were planning on buying their child! He'd never associated with the Carlisles, but he knew they were friends of Joseph's and would've done anything he'd asked.

The minute Niles got his hands on any of them – nobles or soldiers – they were going to regret the very day they had chosen to associate with his so-called "father". He'd been the one to set it up, but he'd already gone to his judgement - with any luck, each of the bastards would soon be joining him in the everlasting torture that could only be waiting!

It had to be a thousand times more painful than what his beloved was currently going through, just to rectify the injustice! Even if he had to torture them himself first, he would make them feel the pain that she had felt, and was continuing to feel while she was still held by them!

It tore at his insides and shattered his heart to think of C.C. so terrified, and in so much pain all at once...

But it wasn't going to be for much longer. Now that he knew, those traitorous ghouls would be hunted down and slapped in irons, while she would be removed, to be kept safe and sound for the rest of her days! He'd make sure she got to sit back and watch as her captors were forced to experience pain such as she'd never know!

And they wouldn't have any release or escape. Nobody would come to their rescue. They didn't deserve it, after what they had done!

But there was no time to waste in wondering what was to come in the far future. His beloved wife and their soon-to-be-born baby were but a carriage ride away. And it was all thanks to the man in front of him.

The man who had given him true information. A real lead. And he deserved a fine reward for his actions.

The reward that had been promised, and would quickly be granted.

"Thank you, Laurens," he told him, placing a hand gingerly on his shoulder and smiling down at him. "You have done this country and my family a great service, and I will forever be in your debt."

"Nonshenshe, Your Majesty, it'sh an honour to sherve...you and Her Majesty – my loyalty ish to you both," replied the servant.

"Regardless. I promised a reward to anyone who helped me find my beloved wife, and you, sir, have earned it!" said the king.

Borrowing a sword from the guard that had come with him, Niles quickly and gently tapped Laurens on both shoulders, trying to be careful and not scrape any of his injuries or bandages. The man had been through enough as it was...

It was the first knighthood he'd bestowed so far, in his reign. Niles already knew it would be the most deserving one he'd ever give.

"I dub thee Sir George Laurens, Knight of the Realm and loyal servant of the Crown. You will be given a reward of ten thousand pounds, as well as an annual stipend of seven hundred pounds. And, of course, your treatment will be covered by us. It is the least I can offer, along with my eternal gratitude and promise that you will always be known as a friend here."

Laurens nodded his head as much as he could, "You...you do me too much honour, Your Majesty...but we musht not lose time. Her Majesty...she'sh in dire need of reshcue."

Niles could only agree, so he thanked him once more and rose from his chair to speak to the guard.

"Summon the rest of the men, and get the carriage brought to the front. We're going to search Carlisle's estate. Tell no one, other than those who need to know, and see they do the same - I want our visit to be a surprise."

With a cry of "Yes, Your Majesty!", the guard saluted and hurried out, willing and eager to get on with what he had to do.

* * *

The carriage flew all the way from London north, up the road towards the estate, not stopping once as it seemed to pass an endless number of fields and forests, towns and cities. People recognised the carriage where it went and shouted out to it, while children squealed in delight and tried to follow, but Niles just told the driver to hurry up by frustratedly smacking his hand on the ceiling.

None of these were social visits; there wasn't a moment to be wasted! He already felt trapped, like an animal in a cage that needed releasing, and he wasn't going to delay opening that door any longer than he had to!

By the time the carriage made it to the estate, he could've easily kicked the door open in his own fury and leapt out to immediately begin the search for his wife and child. He would have succeeded, too, had one of the guards not gotten to the door first. The crowd of men surrounding him the moment he stepped out had prevented him from just marching off to do what needed to be done, too.

Which was just as well, considering they weren't alone. The guards Laurens had said about – the mercenaries that killed for fun and tortured and stole – were dotted all over the place, fairly well armed and apparently looking for a fight.

Not that they were brave enough to charge into one. They'd shouted a warning as soon as they'd seen somebody arriving, but that had turned into a fast surrender the moment they'd spotted exactly who had arrived. They might have been killers, but they clearly weren't stupid enough to go up against the king or his men, when they were there ready prepared and with better resources; there was nothing to gain from it but a quick-but-not-painless death.

They were easily disarmed and arrested, and with some men remaining behind to keep an eye on them, the rest of the guard continued to storm their way into the building and follow the king in his quest for his beloved.

They weren't met with any resistance when they went through the Carlisle's house, either – the servants were already on their knees and with their hands up, having been peeking from windows to watch what was going on outside. Instead, they were begging the soldiers to do something about their lord and lady, in between pleading for their own lives as though they thought they would be executed on the spot.

Niles didn't think they all had to beg so hard; he'd find out individually whether or not they were cruel like their masters or kind and simply carrying out a job, and he would punish accordingly.

When he had time, that was. At that moment, he didn't; it was all consumed by the search for his wife, along with the rest of his thoughts.

And speaking of said wife, Niles could hear her terrible screams – screams of pain, he realised with growing horror and fear – from the very second they'd set foot inside the manor. They echoed throughout the house, interspersed with tearing sobs and garbled words that the walls prevented him from hearing.

Something was happening. Was she in danger? Being tortured? Was it the baby coming?!

He didn't know – he didn't care what it was in that moment, either. He'd figure out what to do when he got up there, but right then he had to get to her, and he had to do it quickly!

He gestured in the direction of the stairs to his men as he sped off, "I hear her – this way!"

He raced upwards as fast as his legs would carry him – he wasn't going to waste a single second in getting to her! He quickly shoved aside two of Carlisle's guards who'd heard the commotion and come from upstairs, pushing them down before they had a chance to react to his presence so that they'd be swarmed and subdued by his guards right away.

Niles didn't care what happened to those mercenaries after that. He'd made it. The upper landing was deserted, but the screaming was louder than ever. It was almost deafening in his ears, but he took off in its direction again anyway. It was coming from the door at the end of the hallway, and he wasn't about to let a little thing like discomfort stop him from rescuing his beloved.

He knew it was the right room – he knew he'd heard his wife's cries coming from there, and like a siren calls for sailors, the Queen's voice was like a magnet for him!

He'd slammed into said door and violently thrown it open with a wordless shout before Lord or Lady Carlisle even knew it.

What he saw when he cast his eyes around the little room, however, took the red mist he'd let descend over him at the palace, and multiplied it tenfold.

Across the room, he got the most awful view of his wife chained down to a birthing chair like a wild animal, scarlet all over her face from screaming and the efforts of labour; she was clearly exhausted and openly weeping like any terrified woman would be in her position...

She must have been like that for hours, locked down and terrified as their baby started to make its way into the world!

And Lord Carlisle, the evil, disgusting bastard that he was...had his hand on her knees, clearly trying to force open her legs and shouting orders at her – threats, snarls, jeers, all to make her comply with his command, while she did everything she could to resist...

The mist had been starting to develop sparks, but as soon as the king saw his wife fighting back and losing to this blackguard, it quickly spread like a raging fire throughout his heart, mind and into his very soul.

And that rage wouldn't be quelled until Niles had destroyed Carlisle and his bitch of a wife, who was sat there on a chair watching the birth as though she thought she were taking in the latest show at the theatre. To add to her boldness, she even looked like she had been wearing a malicious smirk until the moment she had fully realised he was in the room.

He could see it rapidly disappearing, though, as her head had snapped round to face him. If only it had been turned faster and someone had snapped it! He'd get to her in a minute, though. His first priority was Carlisle, and the hands he was unlawfully putting on the Queen!

That in itself was a crime, and Niles would consider it more than a pleasure to see to it that justice was carried out.

"Take your hands off my wife!" he screamed, rushing forward to use his whole body to shove Carlisle away. "Guards! In here, now! Seize this man at once!"

Carlisle must have been reeling from the shock of being pushed over for a few seconds, because it took him a moment (during which he righted himself) before he finally appeared to understand what was going on.

And he didn't like it one bit when he did.

He immediately turned his glare on C.C., rushing at her with an arm raised to strike, "You little bitch! If you'd just given birth faster, like we told you to–"

His open palm never made it to its destination. Niles had seen what he was going to do and had halted him in his tracks with a fist aimed squarely in the man's face.

"I said, _take your hands off her_!" he shouted, staggering the man with another blow to the stomach.

The rage was like a wildfire at this point. It made Niles ignore the fearful screams issuing from Lady Carlisle as she cowered in the corner, and it kept him fighting her lord husband (who would not be a lord for much longer) until the guards arrived through the door.

He only stopped when his guards stepped forward to seize both nobles (that word had, ironically, never truly applied to them even if they had held titles) and, within seconds, they'd forced them both to kneel on the floor so that Niles could give his order as to what should be done with them.

Part of him wanted to simply unsheathe his dagger and kill both of them right then and there, but the more rational and level-headed part of him prevailed over his compulsion to kill. They had to face trial, just like every other criminal in the kingdom, and they would receive an appropriate punishment for their heinous crime.

He already knew what said punishment would be. Death was the only acceptable sentence for High Treason. These cockroaches intended on murdering their Queen and stealing the heir to the throne; there would be no mercy, no clemency.

He would watch them burn, and relish in their pain.

"Lock them up," said the king to his guards, "And since I hereby strip them of their honours and titles, treat them as the scum they are – you owe them no respect or kindness."

He then turned to look at the former Lady Carlisle, now only Elizabeth Howard, and struck her across the face, just like her husband had tried to do to his C.C.. He didn't like to hit women – he only ever hit anybody when he was absolutely enraged, and it usually made him feel uncomfortable afterwards. But this was one of the few occasions in which he actually felt a sense of relief the moment it had happened.

His hand left a bright red, satisfying imprint on Elizabeth's face, and seeing Charles' teeth scattered across the floor as the man reeled, mouth bleeding profusely, made Niles want to laugh.

But that laugh died in his throat as the woman who would not be a lady by the end of it brought her hand up to tenderly feel and massage her smarting cheek. Something glittering in the light had caught his eye, and he needed to inspect it right away. If she was wearing a large ring with the intent of causing injury, she might escape in any confusion that followed a sudden attack.

He wouldn't allow that. She'd go to the same fate as her bastard of a husband for her treason, and then they would both pay for all the murders their men had committed over the years.

He was about to order one of his own men to take it from her – they'd probably take the finger too, if they had to – when the bitch's hand slipped and she accidentally moved it fully into view.

That was when he saw just exactly what the sow had been wearing on her finger for all of that time. And, knowing just exactly what it was, his blood started to run so hot he was almost certain it had evaporated in his veins.

He advanced on her immediately, eyes narrowed at her hand, which he had snatched up by the wrist, "And just what the hell do you think you are wearing?!"

Even if she had made up some excuse right away, he would've seen through the bare-faced lie. He'd known exactly what that ring was from the moment he'd seen it; the gimmel ring he had picked out himself, for his wife to wear in part for their engagement and as a whole in their marriage. There couldn't be another like it anywhere on Earth, and there was no way he would have ever been mistaken about something that he and his wife had treasured so much!

The bitch had taken it from C.C.. Stolen it, just like she had been planning to do to their baby, and would have done to C.C.'s life if they hadn't arrived in time!

There would be a special place reserved in Hell for that sow, and he hoped it was getting hotter by the minute! He wanted it to burn her to a crisp by the time he had her sent there!

She'd stolen one of the few material gifts C.C. had had before they'd been separated! The bitch had taken everything to make the time worth remembering and she wouldn't have stopped or thought her way was done until she had everything!

She was going to get everything – that was, everything prison and torture would ever hear about it! He'd make sure that the screams stayed sealed in the bricks themselves,

The little snake even had the audacity to quickly slip her hand away, which Niles caught and wrenched towards him, dragging the woman across the floor by her knees. Ignoring her cries of pain, Niles glared in her face, a storm flashing in his eyes and thunder rumbling in his chest.

He brought her arm up in front of her so violently that it smacked into her face.

"Where did you get this?!"

The former lady of the house stared up at him, eyes wide like a rat that knew it had been cornered by the cook in the kitchen, as he released her arm, trying not to even flinch that time as her own arm hit her when he dropped – practically threw it – back down.

She yelped minutely when that happened, perhaps imagining the pain that would follow this extremely minor tasting, now that they had been found out.

The horrific pain, and torture that they would all undergo, for taking the queen away from her king.

Tears stung the corners of her eyes, but she didn't want to let them loose yet. She couldn't believe it was ending this way! It couldn't really be happening, could it?! This all had to go away now – the king had to go! He had his whore now, he could leave them to pick up the pieces left behind!

She had to stop him – she had to throw herself on his mercy! He wasn't without mercy, was he?! Everyone said how good and kind a man he was, so maybe that could extend to right at that moment?!

If she seemed to be sorry enough...

"I...I found it. I thought it was pretty; is it...did it come from you, Sire? As a gift to your lady wife?" she whimpered, making it more pathetic and much, much kinder to gain sympathy and perhaps win her cause. "I...I had not thought that it might have––"

Another sharp slap rang across her face to shut her up.

"Don't you dare say another word like that!" Niles screamed, not caring if his hand hurt from the force the blow. "You are lying to me. You took this like the sly, common little thief that you are! I am going to return it to its rightful owner, and you shall be punished for its theft, alongside everything else!"

"No! Please, my lord! I did not mean––"

Ignoring the shrieked begging and pleas she gave in return, Niles grabbed at her hand, pulling at the ring as she fought him to keep it. He didn't give a toss about maybe breaking her fingers. She'd earned every bone in her body that snapped under his hand! He paid no attention to her screams, which only magnified when the guards held her down and he finally ripped the ring from her grasp.

Taking back his breath and pocketing the ring, he ordered the guards to ensure the Howards – Carlisles no longer – were held down and not allowed to move.

The awful pair squirmed and spat and shouted when the guards forced them on their bellies on the floor, but it wasn't as though it would do them any good. This was only the beginning of their suffering, and he'd see to it that they were begging for death before the executioner finally put them out of their misery!

But speaking of pain, there was another (much more important) person in that room that was in excruciating pain, and the loud cry she gave as she battled another contraction brought Niles back to the present moment – back to his beautiful wife.

He no longer cared about Elizabeth Howard's screams or Charles Howard screaming abuse at them as his guard dragged them from the room entirely. His only worry was his queen, and the baby she was birthing. She didn't look as well as he had hoped, and she clearly hadn't gained any more weight that she should have in this last stage of her pregnancy.

It broke his heart that she'd had to live like this for so long. No – not even live. This was not living; it was existing, and buckling down and holding on for things to get better It was going to cost the Carlisles their whole lives to pay his beloved back for what they'd done to her...

But he had to fight through the hurt and the anger that seeing it all caused, and focus purely on the fact that his wife was there.

She was there, alive, and she needed him.

"C.C.!" he cried out, going at long last to her side. "My love, I'm here!"

"Niles...!" pushing through her own pain, C.C. immediately tried to move her arms to reach for him but her arms were held in place by their bonds. "Oh! Damn these stupid things...!"

She looked like she might've been about to say more but another urge to push overtook her. That sparked off a panic in Niles – his beloved needed more help with labour than he could truly provide.

He hurriedly stroked her cheek with his fingers, "It's alright, darling – we'll get you out of here and take you home in no time!"

If she hadn't been in overwhelming pain, C.C. might've managed a full smile along with her tears,

"Home...I've missed that. I've missed you..."

Niles felt his chest swell, just before he replied softly, "I've missed you too, sweetheart..."

All he could start to do after that was let his beloved continue to push as he pulled at the bonds holding her arms down, whilst turning between one remaining guard and the maid who'd gotten there when her employers were arrested.

"Get Dr Potts. He's waiting downstairs for my signal to come in," he told the man, before turning to the girl. "And you – fetch the key that unlocks the chain on Her Majesty's ankle, right now. Then bring towels, clean cloths, and the largest pail of warm water you can carry here."

Both the guard and the girl were out of the room in mere seconds, leaving the two monarchs behind. Now that she was free from the bonds that had held her hands still, C.C. reached for her husband's hand and held it tightly in hers.

And it was then, as they held hands, that Niles remembered what he'd just fought one of her captors to retrieve.

He fished back into his pocket, "I...I got your ring back...we can put it back where it belongs...!"

C.C. reached out her hand as best she could and allowed him to slip it back onto her finger. It was slightly dirty from Lady Carlisle wearing it and not taking care of it, but neither cared about that.

Especially not Niles. All he cared about was the fact that he had managed to put it back on her finger at all; they'd figure out everything else when they got home. That included getting the ring cleaned and properly maintained. It was obvious from its state that Lady Carlisle had just seen the ring and wanted it, but didn't care about it beyond that. She didn't care about the sentiment behind it, or what it represented to them – it was from a marriage that neither she nor her husband approved of or recognised.

But it didn't matter what they thought. That ring belonged there, legally and rightfully, and he would have harsh, swift punishments for any and all who tried to object!

C.C. knew it, too. She knew that her beloved husband would have always been on his way to come rescue her, and having her ring back where it belonged, put there by him, just made it all seem so much more real. Permanent and final. They were married in the eyes of God, starting a beautiful family of their own and no one was left to take it away.

It saddened her that their initial plan hadn't worked out as they'd expected it to, but things were as they were, and although the last few weeks had been hellish, she finally had her reward – she was with her husband, about to birth their child, she was the Queen and her abusers were locked up. No one would hurt her again.

She would never be alone again…

She only needed to get through this delivery. And, with her husband by her side, she felt stronger. More confident. At home…

"Sweetheart, the doctor is coming," he said to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "And he will see to our child…everything will be alright…I promise you."

"I know," she muttered, nuzzling the side of his head as she rested between contractions, "It…well…it just hurts…"

He rested his cheek against the top of her head in return, holding her and hugging her as tightly as he dared.

"I know, love, I know. But the doctor will be here soon – he'll take care of everything..."

It truly wasn't long before Dr Potts had made his way up the stairs (he'd practically taken some of them two at a time, he so wanted to help his patient) and into the little room where she was being kept.

And he very nearly balked upon seeing what a miserable, very-near-wretched state Her Majesty had been left in.

The only reason he didn't gape fully and openly was because his mind reminded him that she was still his queen – he owed her his loyalty, not his horror at what monsters had done to her, and she needed his help to deliver a child!

That was when his doctor's mind took over to see about a solution. Whatever had happened to her while she was on that estate, she hadn't gained any more weight than since he'd last seen her – something which was not going to help, when it came to her delivery.

He was also going to have to treat those fresh rope burns left around her wrists, seemingly from having them tied to her birthing chair. And he might take a look at her ankle, which was still chained up, as though those demons thought her some kind of...well, some sort of animal!

But he knew that he could do it, even if it was shocking to witness and only served to make him hate her captors even more. Her Majesty deserved nothing but the finest treatment to make her well and take away her suffering, and he was going to give it. He also reassured himself with the knowledge that the disgusting perpetrators were now in their own chains (they would hurt twice as much for inflicting even a single injury on a monarch, as well as the insult of keeping her on a chain), and he rushed from the doorway to assist the queen with her labour.

"Your Majesties!" he greeted loudly, setting down his case full of instruments. He was hoping he wouldn't need them. "I am here to be of assistance!"

"I have no doubt, Dr Potts," said the king, giving the man a tired smile, "But we must hurry, the baby is coming!"

Potts had no doubt about that, and if he had had, the queen's pained cry as she rode another contraction made it perfectly clear that the child was to arrive, hopefully, within minutes.

"Your Majesty, would you be so kind as to spread your legs so I can check on your progress?" said the doctor gently, "I shall help Her Majesty if she needs me to."

C.C. shook her head no – she still had the presence of mind to open her legs. Now that her captors were away, she held no fear or hesitation in her heart, and she was more than happy to let the doctor do his job. Slowly, C.C. spread her legs and hiked up her nightgown, giving the doctor a clear view. She briefly wondered how everything looked…_down there_. It had been months since the last time she'd been able to see her nether bits, given the monstrous side of her stomach. It was going to be a big child, that was for certain. She only hoped her body was prepared to deliver it without being split in half…

"Just as I thought – Her Majesty is fully dilated!" exclaimed the doctor just as the maid returned with the towels, cloths and a pail filled with water, which he used to wash his hands before attending to the queen. "She is to push when the next contra–"

"Way ahead of you, Doctor!" C.C. cut him off with a grunt as a contraction suddenly overtook her and she began to push.

And push she did, with all the might that she had in her body. She only stopped to rest when the doctor told her to, but got right back into it the moment she felt the urge again, repeating the cycle in as many turns as she needed.

The time passed without Niles noticing. He was too busy watching as his love fought through this like a warrior, his breath catching in his throat every time she pushed.

But it was soon obvious that her efforts were bearing fruit.

"I can see a head!" the doctor eventually cried out, "Her Majesty is doing wonderfully. Now, on the next contraction, Her Majesty shall push with all her strength for ten seconds and then rest. Alright?"

C.C. nodded, bracing herself – she could feel another contraction building.

"And…push!" said Potts.

It seemed that seconds turned into years as she pushed, but eventually she could rest again, falling back against the chair's back with a loud cry. The cycle was repeated over and over again until, finally, the doctor announced the head was out.

"Now come the shoulders and the rest will be a piece of cake, Your Majesty," said Potts, already beginning to manoeuvre the baby's little body so it could slip out of their mother a little easier.

"Easy enough for you to say!" she snapped through gritted teeth, clutching at her husband's hand – she hadn't noticed his fingers were beginning to turn white from the lack of blood, but at the time she didn't really care. The pain was terrible, and she only wanted it to stop.

Almost as if on cue, her body decided that this was just the perfect moment to have the worst, most painful contraction yet, but instead of slowing her down, the mind-numbing pain gave her the strength (or perhaps the incentive) needed for her to force the baby's shoulders out.

And, just like that, the little thing slipped out of her and into the doctor's arms, beginning to cry almost as soon as it had left her womb.

"It's a girl!" cried the doctor, "A little princess!"

A...very little princess, both parents thought to themselves as soon as they'd laid eyes on the baby. Their little girl had been born so tiny! So tiny, and yet so perfect in her father's eyes. He couldn't have imagined a more beautiful little one as she was cleaned from the water bowl and wrapped up tight to be handed straight to him.

"Here we are, Your Majesty," the doctor presented the little princess with an air of surprise still. He hadn't seen a baby so healthy who had been so small! "Your...little girl..."

_My little girl_, Niles thought to himself. Complete and whole, even in how small she was. All her little fingers and absolutely minuscule toes were intact, her little hands and feet flailing in this strange and new open space that she now found herself in.

"Hello, sweetheart," he murmured to her as his eyes misted over, feeling overwhelmed by his own introduction. "I'm your father...yes, I am..."

She was strong, and she was going to grow up to be as beautiful and intelligent and kind as her mother. A true heir to his throne. He'd made sure that no man would just suddenly come along and take the throne away from her one day in the future; she'd been born with the right to rule, and he was going to see that her inheritance was held up by the institution that would one day be her government.

Her government, when she was crowned queen in her own right.

But that was all for later. For now, her mother might have been resting from her ordeal, but she deserved more than anything to see and hold her daughter. She couldn't from the angle they were at, so he'd have to move more for her.

And he was always willing to be the one to have to move to help her.

So, he carefully turned (he'd never been slower or more gentle in his life!) back towards her chair and lifted their girl up for C.C. to see.

"Here she is, my love, our new little one," he said to her, gently beginning to pass the baby over into her outstretched arms. "Our princess."

"Back right where she belongs," C.C. replied, smiling adoringly at both her new child and her loving husband, "We really have been so lucky, being able to–_aaagh_!"

It was a good thing Niles hadn't entirely let go of the baby, for otherwise, his wife would have dropped her, something that would have only entailed disastrous consequences, given the incredibly small size of their little one. He quickly brought her back to him, bouncing her gently to soothe her crying.

"What's wrong?" he asked, panic coming through in his words, "What is it?"

But his wife didn't reply – she couldn't. Not when she was in the middle of what could only be another contraction. Clearly, the ordeal wasn't over, and it was quickly dawning on the Queen that there was a more than obvious reason for their daughter's size. It also explained the abnormally large size of her belly and how restless she'd believed her child to be.

"There's another one coming…" she gasped as she rode her contraction, "Another baby…it's coming!"

Another baby. Which meant preparing for another birth!

Feeling his insides all starting to close in with the panic of needing to act quickly, he unsteadily rose to his feet. He wasn't intending on going anywhere, but he did have to call the maid over immediately.

"You! Come here!" he waited until she was close enough, and then passed his little girl over to her. "Hold the princess, whilst I see my wife through this next birth. And don't you even think of running to your employers to let them see her, or I'll put you in irons as fast as I put them in theirs!"

The maid curtsied as best she could with the baby in her arms, and then took a demure step back to let them have room.

Niles knew that his words might have been harsh, but he wasn't planning on taking any chances. She could very easily be completely loyal to her employers and share their beliefs – not every servant in the world could be George Laurens, and she might feel as though they deserved to see the child they would have stolen. She would, of course, be punished swiftly for disobedience if she did. But if she didn't and proved to not be like them, then she would be let go at the end of all of this, and be free to either seek employment elsewhere or maybe keep the job if the next owner of the house decided that they wanted her to stay.

Not that any of that really mattered to Niles. He just wanted his daughter in a secure pair of arms when his own needed to hold his wife while she was busy fighting through another contraction.

She truly was the most wonderful and admirable fighter he had ever met...

It was almost impossible to think of a time when he had thought marriage would not be the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to him. Seeing his parents' own, and being raised by a father who believed that women had been made for the pleasure of men and had no purpose other than to be collected by the hundreds, had probably both contributed to that. He had been a fool to ever believe that that life would lead to more happiness than the one he currently had.

And there would be even more happiness once his wife had fought her way through this last part of labour and their second child had joined their older sister in the world.

They'd go home, a joyous family of four, and his father would be proved even more wrong than he already had been.

"You are doing beautifully, sweetheart," he reached for and gripped her hand, squeezing it tightly in encouragement. "I am so very proud of you..."

He was proud of her. She had endured months of Hell, all the while carrying not one, but two children inside her, and hadn't given up hope or the will to do anything other than carry on...

She truly was perfect, in every way. And England was going to be introduced to its queen as soon as she was well enough. The people deserved to know how truly awe-inspiring she was!

They deserved to see the queen that they had been whispering about across the counties, and had been right in saying that Niles would give up everything for.

There would definitely be songs about this, if it wasn't too arrogant of him to say so. Even without his ordering one to be written, some bard or song-master out there somewhere would truly understand the nuance it took to put a love story to music.

And his beloved was as deserving of the best quality music as any heroic figure that passed through stories, poetry or songs all the way across their great land...

Their great land. It still gave him thrills to think it, and he knew it would put a spring in his step that gambolling lambs would envy when he finally got a chance to say it!

It wouldn't be long now. It couldn't be – some amount of time had passed and the second child's head was visible...

He wondered if the baby would be a boy or a girl. He wondered if they would look like him or C.C.. He wondered what they would grow up to be like, and what they would like to do with themselves...

There were so many possibilities, and he was so very excited for all of them! His lords would probably scoff at the idea of him getting so wound up about the whole thing, but Niles knew they didn't understand.

They'd been more inclined the way of his father's beliefs, and not one of them would've ever set foot in the room while his wife gave birth, let alone held her hand.

But Niles couldn't think of any place he'd rather be.

After being apart for so long – after fearing that he would not be there to support her throughout her pregnancy in the first place, Niles simply wouldn't dream of going anywhere. His place was by her side, holding her hand and holding their children close.

He'd failed them once by not protecting them enough when their lives had clearly been at risk, but he wasn't planning on making that same mistake twice. As the saying goes – fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice shame on me. His father had disrespected him and taken him for a lily-livered fool; Niles was determined to not let anyone take him for an idiot again, especially where his family was concerned.

"The head is out, madam!" said the doctor, smiling up at the tired queen (a queen whose only wishes were for this to be over and for her to be able to take a warm bath and a long, comfortable nap in her husband's arms). "His or Her Royal Highness is almost with us!"

That was good news for everyone present. It meant that it was almost time for the slightly larger royal family to go home, where the queen would be able to rest and recover after her ordeal.

She just had to get through this final stage...

It was, once more, easier once the head was out. But C.C. still gripped at her husband's hand as tightly as she could through the last effort she had to give, listening to his encouragements all the way.

"You're almost there, my love...you're doing just brilliantly...!"

"We'll have our two little ones at home with us in no time at all!"

She knew he was right. Even if part of her wanted to kill him (or at least incapacitate a certain part of him) for doing this to her, they would all be going home very soon. And they would have their children with them – just like they'd said before the nightmare began, and just like she'd never stopped hoping when the nightmare was ongoing...

And it was, after a little while and a little more effort, that thought that accompanied a tiny body slipping out of her own and into the doctor's waiting arms. It was another sweet sound to both parents, when they heard the wails of their second child fill the air.

It wasn't a moment longer before Potts beamed up at them, calling out over the higher pitched cries, "It's a boy, Your Majesties!"

A boy...their very own little boy!

Exhausted though she was, C.C. thought her heart could melt all over again when Potts cut the cord and brought their son closer and placed him in her arms, and she could only just hold back sobs of delight as the maid that had held their daughter for the birth was made to give their princess back to Niles, and he came to stand by her.

Their family...now with a little prince in her hold! When he was washed, he'd probably have beautiful golden hair, and the bluest eyes. He was going to be as handsome as his father. But if he had the same reputation at the same age, C.C. was going to have some words for him!

But she didn't have very long to think about that, before her attention was directed to delivering the placenta. She had to give their son over to the maid for that moment, which she hated having to do, but it was in everyone's best interests.

She knew she had to concentrate then, and with her little boy there, she wouldn't have been able to do that!

Niles, meanwhile, thought his chest might burst from how proud he was of both his children. Back before he'd met his love, he couldn't imagine even really liking any children he might have with whichever foreign princess, duchess or lady that his father might've forced him to marry.

But this was different. He had the family he wanted – the family he'd chosen to have. It was him, his beloved wife (who had just finished delivering the placenta and was now eagerly taking back their son from the maid), their little princess, and her younger brother, their little prince.

Both their children would be just as loved and adored as any that had ever lived.

C.C., meanwhile, as she held and smiled adoringly down at their son in her arms and on her chest, could not have felt more blessed. Despite all that had happened to them in their lives, they had been brought back together. She might have had her family taken away, been humiliated, kidnapped and hurt, but she had also found love, a new family, and now...now, their love had given them new little lives to hold and adore.

It was as though they were separate threads in the tapestry of her life, woven together to create something...beautiful. It was beautiful; being there with the love of her life as they held their children, knowing she was safe, even if she was still hurting and there was a doctor tending to her nether regions.

She was safe. Her children were safe. Her Niles had found them in time and they were going home, to the life he had always promised they would share. A life as a real family.

The thought was enough to bring forth a few tears of joy, and once she'd started, she just couldn't stop – they got louder, until her sobs were actually quite audible. And that, in turn, was what caused the bottom of Niles' stomach to drop out and his heart to stop. It must have worried Dr Potts, too, who was busy cleaning the queen up after her labour, because the doctor looked up in a panic.

"Your Majesty? Is something causing you discomfort...?!"

From the looks of her sobs, Niles could only imagine so! Though a little more than just discomfort! He tried, hurriedly but somehow carefully (given that their baby girl was still in his arms), to half-crouch by her so that he could see what was wrong.

"C.C., whatever is the matter?!" he couldn't see what was going on – was she in pain still, and just not telling the doctor so he'd get it over with? There can't have been another baby, but was there an injury that she hadn't mentioned?! "What's wrong?! I'll fix it – whatever it is, I'll–"

"Niles! There's...nothing to fix!" C.C. interrupted him whilst sobbing still, taking in ragged breaths and sniffing so she could make herself heard above her tears. "I'm just...I'm so happy... I'm free. I...I have you again...we've...got our babies, and we're going home...! To be happy!"

She couldn't quite hold herself together after she'd said that — after two horrible weeks of thinking she'd be murdered after having her children taken away from her, being back in her husband's arms and knowing that she was safe from everything and everyone that would have wanted to hurt her was more than a little overwhelming.

Niles, of course, could see this, too. He'd too spent the worst weeks of his life, desperately raking the entire country for his wife and children, whom he'd feared he'd never see again. The rescue had come in the nick of time, as it was, but the important part was that his family was safe once again.

What would follow, hopefully, was happiness and a few quiet weeks spent together. C.C. would of course need extensive care in order for her to recover completely from her ordeal, but it was care he both wanted and loved to give. She'd want for nothing, if he could help it, and when she had gotten better, he'd organise the most wonderful coronation for them both.

It would be the grandest and most colourful celebration he could make it – bright, and beautiful, to chase away the gloom and the dark shadows that had haunted them both for too long...

But in the immediate, she needed his comfort. She'd been through a nightmare probably worse than all of the ones he'd had whilst he'd been searching for her, and it was up to him to reassure that it was truly over.

Taking care once more to not squash their baby girl between them, he leaned in and nuzzled up close to her. The top of C.C.'s head fit like it belonged in the crook of his neck, and he kissed her forehead soundly.

"That's exactly right," he told her, holding back a few tears of his own at this stage. "We are going to be happy. In our home, with our babies. And no one is going to take that away from us!"

She shifted beneath his head, sniffing and cuddling up further as her tears wetted his skin.

"I know...and I'm going to try my hardest to be the best mother and queen...so you'll be proud of me..."

Niles didn't know if his heart leapt or broke at that, but he managed a half-sigh, half-chuckle and kissed her forehead again.

"I already am..."

How could he not be, when she'd survived so much, and fought every day to stay strong, and had just given him the beautiful family he'd never imagined he'd ever want?

He hardly imagined he'd earned his place as her husband, after all of that! He had to count himself lucky every moment of every day that she had given her heart to him, when she deserved the hearts of thousands (even if that thought did also send a slight, candle-sized burn of jealousy through him!).

She deserved the world and all the treasures therein, for all she was and after all she'd been through...

But what she needed right then was a whole lot simpler than that. It was clear, not necessarily from her emotional state, but definitely from the fact that she had just given birth and probably hadn't had much of a good opportunity whilst being in a house with two traitorous demons (who would be sent back to Hell in due time). She needed to rest, and probably most likely to sleep. And he knew just the place where she would, too – the best bed in the entire house was always reserved for guests.

And there was no higher honour for anybody – even bastards who betrayed the Crown – than having the queen to stay.

"Are you feeling tired?" he asked quietly against her skin. "I can order the servants to prepare a bed..."

C.C. hummed quietly in thought before she replied, "In a moment...there is something I think I'd like first..."

Well, whatever it was, Niles knew that he would get it for her, or see to it that it was done! He meant it when he said and thought that his beloved wife and queen would never want for anything and he was going to prove it to everybody right away!

"What would you like, sweetheart?" he asked, smiling at her adoringly. "I'll arrange it, whatever it is."

C.C.'s eyes had a new, reassured shine to them when she looked up at him, "I'd like – and I really think I need – a bath."

That was more than easy to provide, and it would be started immediately.

"Of course," he said, kissing her forehead once more. "If it is a bath my queen wants, a bath my queen shall have."

He straightened up so he was stood again, and snapped his eyes straight to the maid who was holding their son.

"You," he said, preparing his commanding tone. "How many maids are there in this house?"

The maid's eyes darted from him to the floor and back as she answered, "Ten, Your Majesty."

"Good," Niles nodded. "Then listen well, because I have jobs for all of you."

The maid appeared to perk up at that, most likely because she didn't want to upset the king in his current mood. Not when she was already associated with the house that had kidnapped and were planning on murdering his wife and stealing his children...

"To begin with, you must give His Royal Highness to the doctor," Niles gestured between his son and Potts. "Then, you are to take my wife and I to the best bath in this house; my queen wishes to have one, and she will have nothing but the finest in bathing facilities. After you have shown us there, you will instruct some of your fellow maids to draw the bath, while those who are left over will prepare the finest guest bedroom in the house for our stay. Do I make myself clear?"

The maid nodded, "Completely, Your Majesty. The bath is in Lord and Lady Carlisle's chambers – I will bring you there at once."

"Alright, then get to it," he made an ushering gesture with his hand, waving her away so that she'd get on with everything she'd been ordered to do.

She curtsied as best she could with the baby in her arms, and turned to give the little prince back to Potts. Satisfied, Niles smiled at his wife and daughter, before looking over at Potts as well, as the doctor took the baby from the maid and into his arms.

"I hope you have room for one more over there, Doctor. There's no one else in this house that I trust to bring my children along, while I am taking my wife to the bath."

The doctor nodded in return, understanding, "I have room enough for both of your children here, Your Majesties. I would not trust too many people in this place, either."

With that said, he waited as Niles came over, crooning to his little girl all the way, and carefully moved her brother into one arm so that the little princess could have the other.

Then, the king went back to his queen and lifted her up gently in his arms, taking her from where she was resting and turning to the maid with an air of expectation.

The girl knew it, too, so she didn't keep them waiting any longer.

"If Your Majesties would care to follow me..."

She brought them all – Niles with C.C. in his arms, and Potts carrying the twins – through the house until they reached a large bedroom that appeared far grander than most of the rest of the house. In a room to one side of the main chamber, there stood a large bath just waiting to be filled with hot water, and opposite a comfortable looking chaise longue that would make a perfect place to recline and relax until it was ready.

Setting his beloved down gently so that she was lying stretched out on the seat, he then turned to ensure that the maid hurried off to complete the rest of her work. In return, the maid practically ran out of the room, as though she thought that she – alongside a few of her fellow servants – might be punished or get into trouble for not working as hard or fast as they should.

Not that they'd be in any kind of real trouble for that. Certainly not the kind of trouble that you just couldn't get out of, no matter how hard you tried.

They weren't at that stage. Not like their employers were. Not unless the next words out of C.C.'s mouth were to tell him that any of the rest of the household had been cruel to her as well. Then...well, suffice to say, there would be a few more used cells and a trial waiting at the end of it.

With his hands free and the maid gone, he then received his two children from Dr Potts, who was then allowed to leave so that he, too, could get some sleep.

"I shall check on you again in the morning, Your Majesty," he told C.C. with a bow. "Rest well tonight."

With a thanks he probably would have dismissed if he had been allowed (had they simply been his friends and not his monarchs), he left them alone with their children.

"Let me hold them," C.C. said. "I'd like to have them with me while we wait. Once I'm in the bath and the water has cooled down a little, we can wash them."

Niles smiled adoringly at her, "That is a wonderful idea, my love. And the perfect place for our little ones...!"

He knelt carefully down by the side of the seat, slipping the twins one by one into her arms so that they could stay cuddled up with their mother for the time being.

Niles smiled to himself at the scene; all three could stay relaxed while the bath was prepared, resting and recovering after their combined experiences.

They waited and watched as a pair of maids came in carrying fresh linens. They had obviously not wanted to upset anything further by delaying his order, even though only the day before they would have been treating his beloved like a commoner at best, and a condemned prisoner at worst.

He wasn't going to stand for his beloved being made to feel that way.

A third maid came in a while after the other two, having been tasked with carrying the buckets of warm water up from the kitchen. She halted in her tracks when she saw the royal couple, before remembering to curtsy as best she could in front of them.

"Y-Your Majesties! Got the water – piping hot. Should make for a soothing bath!"

Niles nodded approvingly, but did not reply to the maid. He had no interest in engaging with any of the people there. Any of them could have gone to him sooner, so that his wife wouldn't have had to experience the nightmare she'd gone through, but out of cowardice or indifference, they'd kept their mouths shut and allowed the abuse to go on.

For all he cared, they were the closest anyone could get to being the Carlisles' henchmen.

And he held nothing but hatred for anyone related to them and to the heinous crime that had almost been committed.

Once the tub had been all filled up, Niles gestured for the maids to take their leave for the rest of the night. In any other situation, he would have had them help C.C. undress but, as it was, he did not want any of them touching the queen again.

They did not deserve the honour of being chosen to serve her.

No, he would undress her himself, just as he'd done many times before, and he would make sure she did not strain herself. She needed all the rest she could get, and he would wait on her hand and foot, if that was what it took for her to get better.

In any case, undressing her represented little to no effort – the gown might have been completely unworthy of a queen, but it was going to be easy enough to slip over her head.

But first, he had to help her sit up so that the children could take the space she'd leave while getting undressed and then settled in the bath.

"Come on, my love – let's get you out of this nightgown and into your bath."

C.C. hummed thoughtfully as she lay there, holding their children and half-dozing on the chaise longue, "Hm, that sounds just lovely to me..."

She allowed him to lift her up again with care, helping her to settle in a more seated position and moving the babies, settling them down in the space she'd vacated. It was the safest place for them, as Niles gently slipped the nightgown up and over C.C.'s head.

Every movement seemed to hurt his poor wife, even something as simple as raising her arms, but when she was finally free of her garments, he was able to scoop her up in his arms and then gently settle her into the tub.

She winced when the hot water touched her skin (and some still-very-much-sore bits and pieces), but she was soon relaxing into the comfortably warm bath, relishing in the relief it brought to her aching body and strained muscles. Being like this with him and their children was almost a blessing, considering she'd come horrifyingly close to being murdered only half an hour ago.

"Better?" her husband asked, having knelt next to the bathtub.

C.C. smiled faintly, "A lot, thank you" she said, reaching for one of his hands, which was perched on the side of the tub, "But it would be even better if all of you were in here, with me."

Niles couldn't help but smiling more than a little at that, and he squeezed her hand back to show that the feeling was mutual.

He loved that they could have that kind of intimate moment together, whether it was just to bathe or if it was so they could get started on some more lively fun (though even the former ended up as the latter, a lot of the time!).

He could honestly do with a bath with her right then. The grime of the journey, plus the rush of needing to get to her and get her through the birth...

Well, they were alone. The maids were outside, and the doctor had retired to rest. They could take advantage of that by having a bath and getting their children cleaned up together!

It seemed simple and easy enough to him. They were married and they were new parents – they had to learn to manage both!

Dropping a kiss on his wife's cheek, he quickly got to his feet and stripped down to his britches, preferring to keep them on for property's sake. He had no qualms whatsoever about being naked around his wife, but considering their children were there too, it didn't seem…_appropriate. _

He then picked up the twins, cradling one in each of his arms, and made his way back to the bathtub, this time slipping into it alongside C.C.. She'd scooted forward to leave him some room to get into the tub.

Once he was settled, he handed one of the children over to C.C., who then settled comfortably in between his legs and against his strong chest. She sighed contentedly, having missed her husband's presence for the past horrifying weeks. Throughout her captivity, she'd tried to stay hopeful, but the longer Niles had taken to come save her, the more hopeless she'd become. It had reached a point where she'd thought she'd never enjoy from her husband's company again, but she'd been mistaken.

Gloriously mistaken…

It had never occurred to her that she could be – _would_ be – this happy again. Mere hours ago, she had been convinced this was the day that she'd...

She wasn't going to think those words! She wasn't going to ruin what was rapidly becoming a perfect moment by slipping back into thoughts which simply weren't going to happen now!

She'd been saved. Her husband, the man who adored her so much he'd married her and made her his queen, had found her. By some miracle and a twist of fate, he'd found her in time.

And now, they got to be a real family. And right in that moment, that meant getting their two little ones cleaned up.

_Their little prince and princess_...! Oh, the words were magical, almost! They got to be a family with their little prince and princess!

"Comfortable?" Niles asked quietly. She had closed her eyes, but the adoring smile on his face was implied.

She nodded slowly, "Mm-hm..."

"Are you in any pain?" he said, nuzzling the side of her head with his own.

C.C. hesitated to answer – she was in pain still. Her... nether regions were as sore as they could be, she was exhausted, and every tiny movement hurt like hell. It hadn't been an easy delivery, and it had been made worse by the knowledge that she was going to be murdered the moment the children had been delivered. It was a fear nearly impossible to describe, and it had maximised every little pain and discomfort she'd felt throughout the delivery.

She wasn't sure if she wanted Niles to know just how horrible the experience had been, but at the same time she felt like she couldn't lie to her husband. Not when he'd saved her in the first place.

Maybe it would be for the best, telling the truth...

Lies and deceit had no place in a stable marriage.

"I am a little, yes," she said, opening her eyes to look down at a fussing Will – the babe must have been hungry! "Having...having to go through most of it alone wasn't...wasn't easy."

Niles felt his chest and stomach tighten to the point that he felt like he was being crushed. He hated himself and the fact that he hadn't been there right from the start with every fibre of his being – even if he couldn't have fully helped it, what kind of father nearly missed the birth of his children?!

He should have been there. He should've done something to make sure that he could've been there from the start! Worked harder to find her, sent out more scouts and offered more rewards! Anything so that he could've taken her back and protected her and their children from the demonic bastards they'd be sending back to Hell soon enough!

He could've done so much more, though, and had his family back so much more quickly...

All he could do now was try his best to make up for what he had done – or failed to do, rather.

And the first opportunity came as his wife next spoke.

"But I think our little ones will need feeding and bathing, lover. Our son and daughter are getting fussy..."

Niles could only look down at his daughter and son, both tucked up safely in his and her arms respectively, but whimpering like they were protesting right alongside her brother, and agree.

So, he carefully lifted himself up and out of the bath, hurrying to fetch a couple of cloths and some soap before hurrying back to the warm water so that both he and Lottie didn't get too cold.

He then bathed their little girl, and swapped her over with C.C. so he could bathe Will whilst Lottie was fed. And, once their girl had had enough, it was time for their son to have his share.

It was an awkward – and slippery – transition, but the two parents just about managed it without dropping anybody in the water.

And as Niles had to be instructed by C.C. on the fact that the children had to be burped, and had to be positioned correctly on one's shoulder to be burped, he couldn't help but think it would still be a long, long way from here to make up for not being there at the start.

He would try his very best, and that meant having his wife want for nothing. He would pamper her and she wouldn't have to lift so much as a finger – he'd have an army of servants (apart from himself, of course) waiting on her from the very moment they were back home.

He didn't know if she was ready to return yet. The ordeal had tired her greatly, so riding a carriage back to the palace would most probably have to wait a day or so. He wouldn't force her to move quicker than she wanted or could, but the sooner they were out of that wretched house, the better.

He didn't know what he wanted to do with it, now that the Earldom of Carlisle was vacant. He supposed he'd have it burnt down to a crisp – a way to erase the nasty memories, perhaps.

In any case, that was unimportant at the present moment. He'd worry about the Earldom only when his wife was comfortable and resting, not before. He had bigger and more important things to do and think about that what to do with a disgraced nobleman's land.

Once their son had been properly fed and burped, C.C. returned the baby to Niles, who in turn carried him out of the tub, alongside his sister. He wrapped them snugly in towels and then briefly left them to rest atop the chaise longue while he helped C.C. clean up.

It didn't take long for him to do so, and when he was done, he helped his wife out of the tub and, just like he'd done with his children, wrapped her in a warm, fluffy towel.

He was so very grateful for the opportunity to do that. Every inch of his body had feared never being able to do that again...

"Feeling warmer in there?" he asked, beaming all over his face at how adorable she looked, all wrapped up and freshly clean from the bath.

C.C. chuckled under her breath, "Less...disgusting."

Nikes screwed up his face, pulling her to him and pressing a kiss to her forehead before enveloping her in a hug.

"You could never be disgusting, my love," he said.

C.C. made a vague, unimpressed noise at the back of her throat, "You try pushing two human beings out of your body and see if you don't end up feeling a little disgusting afterwards."

Niles could only suppose that she had a point. She had just performed what must've been the hardest task he'd ever seen a human body undertake, and there had been...well, more than an amount of blood that he would ever have liked to see near her...

She'd fought like a warrior, in his mind. He wasn't going to argue with anything that she said. If anything, it simply made him more determined to give her all the gifts and rewards that she deserved.

Though from the look on his C.C.'s face when she pulled away, the only thing she looked like she'd accept, out of all the jewels, land, books or dresses that he could give, would be a warm bed where she didn't have to be disturbed for a whole night's sleep.

Luckily, that was something he was also more than willing to provide.

"Alright," he said, kissing her cheek. "Get comfortable with our little ones, I'll get dressed and have a maid help you get ready for bed."

C.C. nodded; he could see in her eyes that she wanted nothing more, and he was more than happy to let her drift off to sleep. So, after having donned his linen shirt and breeches ( he figured they would suffice for him to spend the night there), he called for a maid to come help him with the babies.

With a court nod, the young servant very gently picked the babies up and, after Niles had gathered his own wife in his arms, they all made their way to the bedroom they'd been given for the night.

Upon entering the room, Niles was pleased to see that their own servants had already brought up the few chest he'd had brought along. He'd left in such a hurry that his servants had barely had time to pack some clothes for the baby (or babies, as it had turned out!), the king and a few dresses for the queen, should she be found alive. Still, most of the toiletries and, as it so happened, their nightwear, had been left behind in Niles' urgency to get to C.C. before it was too late.

Not that it mattered to them. They were soothed by the knowledge that their children had more outfits and blankets than either of them needed for such a short amount of time!

"Get a nightgown for Her Majesty," Niles ordered as he lowered his wife on the bed. "And help her dress while I attend to my children."

The maids exchanged a nervous look that didn't sit well with the King.

"Is something the matter?" he asked crossly. He wouldn't tolerate them not wanting to serve their Queen, if that was the case!

"I…I am afraid so, Your Majesty," said the eldest (and probably highest ranking) maid.

She was a plain-looking, middle aged woman with greying hair and a heavily-lined face. For some reason she had a near-permanent look of worry on her face – probably because of having had to work for such cruel masters for so long. C.C. remembered seeing her from time to time, back when she was still a prisoner; she would sometimes be sent to feed her and give her clean clothes. She'd never been mean to C.C.. What's more, the queen distinctly remembered just how pitifully she'd always look at her whenever she'd visited her prison. They'd never spoken, but in her tired eyes C.C. had detected that a silent "I'm sorry" lay hidden.

"All the spare nightgowns are with the town's washerwoman. Only Lady Carlis– I'm sorry, Elizabeth Howard's nightgowns are left." completed the eldest maid. "Shall we bring one to Her Majesty anyway?"

Niles frowned. The last thing he wanted was for his beloved to have to wear Elizabeth Howard's cast-offs. She shouldn't have to sully her beautiful skin with fabric that had touched anything so vile!

"No, don't bring any of her filthy rags," the King said. "Go to the washerwoman's and inform her she is to come up to the house with clean clothes immediately. In the meantime Her Majesty shall be dressed with one of my linen shirts – it will suffice for the time being."

A chorus of "Yes, Your Majesty" rose from among the maids. So, while one of them left to look for the washerwoman, the rest were soon retrieving a shirt for the queen to wear and helping her into it. Meanwhile, Niles saw to their children, who still needed to get dressed. They were so small that most of the gowns he'd brought for them to wear were too big on them! Still, he managed to get them all bundled up and wrapped in warm blankets, making sure the latter weren't wrapped too tightly around them so that they would have freedom of movement. He couldn't help feeling rather pleased with his handiwork – he was, after all, a first time father and as such was unexperienced when it came to childcaring.

Once both the queen and the royal children were appropriately dressed, Niles helped the former into bed. She slipped readily between the sheets, holding out her arms in preparation to receive their little bundles – the two greatest accomplishments they had, and they had made them together...!

"You alright?" he murmured, watching as she snuggled down with their little prince and princess, and feeling the greatest warmth he'd ever known.

C.C. nodded again, starting to close her eyes, "Mmhm...better than I've been in a long time..."

Niles smiled at her, and then they both settled into bed and into getting comfortable, relishing in the warmth and the silence that came with the maids going away and then having been gone for a while, the rest of the house apparently quiet. Everyone else was either giving them their privacy or had gone to bed themselves – the king didn't much care which, as long as it lasted. Anything C.C. or the children needed, he would get it himself, and not bother the rest of the house again until the morning.

They had each other, and for now, that was enough.

More than enough.

And with that thought in mind, the king and queen drifted into a pleasant sleep.


	34. Chapter 34

_**Chapter 33**_

Prudence huffed out a breath as she stomped her way over the uneven path, hauling her basket along beside her with a growing resentment that made her want to throw the godforsaken thing into the nearest brush, let the woman who owned the stupid night dresses go hunting for them herself, and then go back to a warm fire and a bowl of leftover stew.

She'd be keeping that image in her head the whole way there. If it weren't for the fact that she was being paid to wash clothes for these people – as well as anybody around who could afford her price – she wouldn't have considered any of it worth bothering about.

Not to get her wrong, she knew that on this particular occasion she was serving two God-fearing Christians who had earned what they had in life, but...well, her life was still at the bottom of the gutter, and that burned inside her every day! What had she done, other than her duty, that had caused her to end up living in some miserable little room at the back of a tavern, paying in most of what she earned simply to keep that hovel-like roof over her head (complete with its one redeeming feature - the warm fire), spending the rest on scraps of food and having to beg bowls of second-rate stew from the landlord in exchange for washing his clothes for free?!

The only step below that would be sleeping in the stable, and even then, the smell would be the same!

It made her sniff unpleasantly to even think about it. The other women at the wash house all had bright, clean homes to go to, at the end of the day. And they'd been nothing but washerwomen their whole lives – they hadn't seen, done or earned half the things that Prudence had, and yet she got less?!

It wasn't fair. And it was all that Babcock slut's fault!

The washerwoman kicked a pebble, which skittered across the ground before it bounced off the road's milestone. She only wished that it could've been the girl's head she was kicking in...

Wherever she was, Prudence hoped someone was doing the honours for her.

She'd been careful to listen in on all the gossip, from the women she worked with to the travellers and tradesmen that passed through the town. She hadn't been able to believe her luck, either, when she'd heard that the girl had gone missing! While all the others had gathered together in their little group to mutter and fuss over what could've happened to "the poor dear", she'd kept on working to herself, smirking all the while.

There was no "poor dear" in that conversation, only deluded peasant women crying over a whore they'd never met! It would've sickened Prudence to see them cluck like the worst sort of hens over a glorified prostitute, if the whole situation hadn't been so laughable in the first place!

The night she'd heard, the leftover stew had tasted all the sweeter. And she'd gone to bed imagining that the bitch would be gone soon, having met a long, painful end.

It was a thought that brought her some comfort, as she turned up towards the Carlisles' estate.

The Earl was not known for being patient – she could only assume that was why he'd called for the night dresses so suddenly – and he'd probably admonish her for being late, but Prudence could happily keep the image of the Slut Queen breathing her last and let it brush off like water off a duck's back.

Besides, it would be over in a matter of moments, anyway. The Earl was a busy man and he had more important things to attend to than his wife's laundry!

With that, and a much nicer set of thoughts in mind, Prudence went to the back door and knocked, waiting as patiently as she was able until one of the kitchen maids let her in.

After giving the girl a dirty look for having kept her waiting (though she needn't have bothered – the creature looked admonished enough by something), she let the maid point her in the direction of where the order was wanted and made her way into the house, ignoring the men gathered in the hall and by the stairs. She didn't have time to stop and look – besides, the Earl sent men out to do his bidding often; why should she treat something so mundane as special?

The king had, and look at where that had gotten him!

If only they had more men in charge like his lord father, King Joseph...none of this would've happened, had he still been alive!

Prudence would still have her comfortable position at the palace, for one thing...

But she didn't, and she was just going to have to lump it, until she could change everything...

She eventually came to what she had been told was the correct door, but she didn't bother to wait after knocking before opening it. The Earl and Countess would be waiting and she wasn't about to hold them up!

"Apologies for the tardiness, my lord, but I was–_you_!"

Her surprised yelp was immediately followed by the sound of a basket of fresh, dry laundry thudding to the ground and tipping over, and the sound of babies starting to stir, disturbed by the noise.

Niles...King Niles, Prudence reminded herself, was sat up in the bed, next to...to that slut that had gone missing! Missing no more, as she cradled and fed not one, but _two_ little creatures at her breast!

The laundry was forgotten in an instant by Prudence. How could she possibly focus on anything other than the nightmarish scene she had just walked in on?! Since when had the slut been found?! Since when had she given birth to two little bastards that the king would declare legitimate, no matter how much of an unworthy whore their mother was?!

Neither party knew who should be more surprised at that point. Niles (who had jolted upright in surprise at the sound of the knock) and C.C. (who hadn't been able to do anything apart from look from her position in bed when someone had entered), to see the maid they'd had dismissed for her rudeness, arrogance and haughtiness...

Or, again, Prudence, who was still confused, shocked and incensed to see the king who had thrown her out of the palace, alongside the "queen" that she had hoped would have disappeared forever by now!

How the hell had either of them ended up here?! What was that little whore doing in the best guest bed the Carlisles owned, alongside the man she had not earned?! She deserved to be lying dead in a ditch somewhere, the letter _**A**_ branded painfully into every part of her body, not comfortable and warm in a bed she did not own and was not invited into (though, as a whore, she would've been invited into many)!

Especially not alongside those two little bastards the king had put in her!

Why did there have to be two?! Why had she even been blessed with one?! Two meant there were two possible heirs, and a strong line created by a whore! They were going to be the laughingstock of Europe, and nothing could stop that from happening now!

And with that thing for a mother, it was probably no wonder that they screamed!

Prudence might've heard all the rumours and the stories about what had been going on, but she had never imagined it would come here. She'd thought the king's quest was pointless. She'd thought the little slut long dead, and she had been happy about it. It meant His Majesty would have to look for a respectable royal bride, and forget all about the whore he'd gotten knocked up before she'd been taken away.

Prudence had gone to sleep at night happy in the knowledge that she had outlived the bitch who had ruined her life. But all of that had changed in an instant; with the mere opening of a door.

"What are you doing here?!" the king demanded of her, looking down at her dropped basket quickly before snapping his eyes back to her. "Does your new employer know the reason you were made to leave our service?!"

"Our" service. He said that as though he expected her to acknowledge the whore for anything else!

Prudence would never do that. While there was still breath in her body, she'd only ever see that slut as she was; tarnishing the name and reputation of the family she had no place being a member of, and instead of fleur de lis, the crown she wore had prongs shaped like men's–

"Answer me, woman!" the king snapped, dragging her back in. "I did not hesitate to throw you from my palace, I can turn you from this house just as easily!"

Feeling the heat of anger start to rise at the mere mention of her disgrace, Prudence screwed up her face into a grimace. She knew she had no choice but to tell, but it didn't mean that she had to like it.

"I wasn't about to spoil my own chances of putting food in my belly, was I? They know I worked at the palace before, that's all they have to know!"

They didn't have to know anything about what had happened before. But, if they somehow found out, she had been doing the country a service, standing up against the slut that was trying to elbow her way in where she didn't belong.

She had practically tried to save the king, by telling her all those things she had! She deserved to be lauded and honoured, but thanks to the little cow surviving to hold the king in thrall still, she was forced to hide what she'd done!

If the whore wasn't alive and everybody had forgotten and moved on, she'd be able to happily tell everyone. She might have even gotten a promotion in the royal household, or at least a pay rise!

She should have never accepted the little slut into service. She should have seen her intentions the moment she'd stepped a foot into the palace! She'd pretended to be this sad, demure lady when she was nothing but a filthy prostitute looking to climb her way up the social ladder. She had fooled the King and Queen Mother, but she didn't fool Prudence – she saw her for who she was!

She had been so hopeful of her being gone for good…

But no, the King just had to have his whore – her grip on the obviously weak-willed King was as strong as it ever was. And now that she'd birthed those two ugly runts, she had cemented her position as Queen. She'd sunken her claws in too deep.

But the King clearly wasn't done with Prudence – that much was obvious by the glare he was giving her.

"I could easily imprison you for withholding the truth – even better, I could have you lashed," the King said. "So if you do not wish for any of that to happen, you will make yourself scarce in the next minute or so."

"What about my wages?" Prudence snapped. "I have spent hours washing these clothes and I expect to be paid for it!"

She was well within her rights to demand her wages. She knew that as well as anybody! His Majesty – and it was really a pity at this point that this blind, pathetic, libido-driven fool was His Majesty – couldn't stop her from getting what was rightfully hers!

The master or mistress of the house usually provided it, and if she knew them as well as she thought she did, they'd want to make a show of their wealth in person, by paying her in front of their apparent "guests". The further up they could show off how much money they had, the better, and they couldn't get further up than the king himself!

The triumph coursing through her body felt glorious. As soon as she'd seen either Lord or Lady Carlisle and had gotten her payment, she would say a cheerful and well-deserved farewell to His Royal Blindness and the whore he'd thrown away an entire country's reputation for.

But, even as she stood there, waiting for them to roll their eyes (what a moment that would be!) and call a maid to call for the Carlisles, the king began to laugh.

Prudence felt a slight sense of dread coming over her at his reaction, her smile starting to slip.

Why was he so amused?

Shouldn't he have been storming along, leaving his slut in the bed with their two little bastards, to go get the lord or lady of the house...?

"Well, you are going to be waiting a long time, you old hag! There are no lords or ladies of the house here to pay you!" he declared in eventual reply. "I had the Howards – the former Lord and Lady Carlisle – stripped of their titles and arrested for high treason, when I discovered that they had been holding my beloved wife, your queen, hostage!"

If Prudence's face could have fallen any further, it would have been on the floor, along with all of her organs, which suddenly seemed to have dropped out.

The...the Carlisles...they were gone?!

The washerwoman stumbled, nearly tripping on the basket and bundled-up nightdresses that she had forgotten.

Her basket didn't matter so much now, anyway, did it? The Carlisles were the ones who paid most for washing around there, because their estate was bigger, but if they weren't there anymore, where would she get the coin she needed to keep her room?!

She'd end up sleeping on the floor of the wash house, at that rate! Keeping herself alive with the occasional sixpence, rationing bread and doing more laundry for free, simply to make ends meet!

She'd promised herself that she'd never do more free laundry than she had to, from the moment she'd first had to wash her landlord's...underthings...but now what choice would she have?! Even if the people she'd be doing this for would've stepped out of her way once, for knowing that she worked at the palace, the scum wouldn't care about that now!

She could scarcely believe any of it, and the idea of it all being one long nightmare leapt back into her mind. But as much as she acknowledged it, it did her no good – there was nothing to wake up from, try as hard as she might!

Lord and Lady Carlisle...marked as traitors! They weren't the lord and lady of this great house anymore...it had been taken from them and they had been taken away to face an unfair trial!

They'd obviously be put to agonising, miserable deaths, too, and for what? Some slut that had managed to wind herself around the current king, blinding him to what was good and noble and decent, and gripping on for dear life like weeds that choked rose bushes?!

That whore was going to have a say (the ultimate say, once she'd opened her legs for the king!) in who lived and who died, and it had rendered Prudence near speechless!

"I...I don't...! How could you have...?!"

That was probably the wrong thing to say, because before she knew it, the king was on his feet and closing in on her, eyes blazing and teeth bared.

She'd stepped on the whore's dog's tail, and he was rabid.

"What the hell did you just say?!" he barked at her. "You dare question my authority and my ability to judge character?!"

Had Prudence been a brave woman – had she truly and really had the guts to stand up for her beliefs, she would have replied that, yes, she questioned his authority and ability to judge people's character. She would have told him that he was a weak king that cowered behind the skirts of a lesser woman. She would have told him that England was doomed because of him.

But Prudence wasn't brave.

She wasn't noble at heart. She was but a coward, and she valued her physical integrity far too much to even consider speaking her mind. She was on the losing end here.

"I didn't say that, my lord!" she cried out. "I...I merely don't understand how you could turn your back on two God-fearing, loyal servants such as Lord and Lady Carlisle!"

The king who'd given up his entire country for the Whore of Babylon's desecrated chapel of ease stared her down, gaze hardening until his eyes became stone.

No. Somehow, they became even harder and colder than that, freezing over into ice that no spring nor summer could thaw.

""Loyal"?!" he snarled, fists curling up and clenching in anger at the very presumption! "You dare to term those traitors loyal to their king, when they held my pregnant wife – their queen and yours – with the intention of stealing our children once they were born, and murdering my wife after the birth?!"

Even the thought of what the Carlisles had been planning to do still set off his rage like rapid, continual cannon fire! And then this cow had just sauntered back into their lives, apparently ready to make it ten times worse for everybody involved!

She was only truly succeeding at making it worse for herself. Especially in terming the Carlisles as she had! "God-fearing"? If those two had even taken so much as a second to think that their deeds might have repercussions - both here on Earth and in the afterlife - then they might've feared God enough to stop themselves from committing evil acts!

And as for "loyal"...well, Niles had seen more loyal rats in the palace kitchens, always taking the same spots for grains and other dropped morsels. The rat had to be self-serving; they lived in a world where you would either live or die, and sometimes underhanded tricks meant survival.

They couldn't have been less loyal, and now they were going to pay the price for their dishonesty!

And speaking of dishonesty, Niles had yet to find out who was the rat who'd given them u–

_Prudence! _Niles remembered that, right before he'd kicked the disgraced maid to the curb, he had confessed to her that he and C.C. would be getting married! She'd then been dragged out onto the street by one of his guards, all while screaming abuse at them!

For all he knew, the scheming maid might have been the one to go to his father in order to satiate her thirst for vengeance! She had plenty of reasons, and she probably thought she'd be rewarded for her "services". She'd clearly known nothing about Joseph's nature – the former king never gave anything back, not even if he'd gained something from the other person.

"Maybe you support them because you are responsible for my wife's grievances in the first place!" the King barked, covering the distance between the washerwoman and himself in three long strides. "You gave us up! You told my father of our marriage after my wife and I ended your employment!"

Prudence wanted to scowl, and say how much she wished she was the person who'd exposed their little scheme to King Joseph. She might be in a better position than she was now; she might've been given better pay, or larger quarters...one thing was for sure, she'd be getting more respect than the locals gave her.

Ignorant country bumpkins and barbarians, the lot of them.

But she felt as though she might be in even more trouble if she attempted to suddenly grow a spine. Even if she hadn't been the one to tell on the king and his (now unfortunately legal) whore, she'd still be punished for talking back to him like that. Whether it was a few days in the stocks, or even in prison, she didn't want to risk such a thing.

She didn't think she'd survive the humiliation of the former, or just survive in general if it was the latter!

And all she could think to do in that situation of panic, apart from maybe scurry away like a rodent before he could catch her, was to do the very next best thing non-noble, actually quite underhanded people would do in that situation.

Deflect the blame onto someone else entirely.

"N-No, my lord!" she protested, attempting to shrink and make herself look small enough to not be a threat, but to also look helpless and weak. "I never did that! It must've been somebody else – someone with another grudge to bear!"

That left it open enough to interpretation. The king had had practically every maid in the palace, so one of them was bound to have been bitter and jealous that he'd chosen the slut over them...

Not that Prudence knew this, but she'd set the King's mind in motion. Just as he'd been about to threaten the disgraced laundress with a whipping, it had dawned on him that, perhaps, he hadn't been as careful while C.C. as in hiding as he'd thought he'd been. Had he unwittingly let an unwanted intruder in on their secret? If so, when had it happened? He didn't really remember having even mentioned C.C.'s name in court, back when she was in hiding. He hadn't spoken to anyone about her, save their loyal (and sadly departed) servants, Laurens, Potts and his moth–

Niles could suddenly feel every one of his organs collapsing in on themselves until they were nothing but an indistinct pile of flesh-coloured mush. The memory seemed as clear as day in his mind – almost offensively clear, so much so that Niles wondered how he hadn't thought about it before, as well as making him want to bang his bloody face against the wall for having been so stupid.

Back when he and C.C. had first found out they were expecting, Niles had gone to court to tell his own mother about the happy news. He'd been so excited at the prospect of starting a family with his wife that he'd gone against his better judgement and breeched the topic at court, the one place where he'd promised himself (and his beloved) that he wouldn't mention their plan. He'd thought that his mother's quarters were safe, but clearly he'd been wrong.

How could he have been so stupid, letting his guard down like that?! He should've known better than anyone that anybody could be listening in on any part of that place, at any time!

Whomever had done it, they'd probably heard the whole thing, too! And seen! He'd been such a fool that he hadn't even remembered to remove his wedding ring that day, until his mother had reminded him! He'd pocketed the little thing in a flash, but what if that hadn't been enough?!

The king felt the sludge that was once his organs starting to dissolve. He'd done this. He'd given these bastards all the information they'd needed to get to C.C.! Even trying to hide it in French hadn't been enough – someone in the palace clearly spoke the language, rendering the tactic he'd once thought so clever utterly useless!

They would've gotten an accurate report on everything, which would've then of course gone straight back to his father!

But he couldn't wallow in his own misery just yet. That would come later, once he'd spoken to C.C. about what they could gather from what they knew.

And all they had to go on was that they were most likely a servant, given that they could get around without being seen, they had an obvious grudge against C.C. and they could understand French...

That couldn't be too hard to pinpoint, could it? There couldn't be many who spoke another language...

And there couldn't have been many who would so happily put down and abuse his beloved, either. She couldn't have had many people bearing grudges against her...! Not when she was the most wonderful woman on the face of Earth, in his eyes.

Still, investigating would come later. For now, he had one pest that needed urgent taking care of so that it wouldn't continue to darken their doorstep for one more second!

Niles glared down at the shaking maid – the bitch was trying to make herself look weak and helpless, probably in an attempt to shoo away the shadow of doubt that had been cast over her. The gesture only spoke of cowardice, and there were few things Niles hated more than cowards.

"You are disgusting," he spat at her, "and a coward. Now get out oy my sight before I throw you in jail."

Prudence didn't need to be told twice. She might've still wanted the pay that she clearly wasn't getting out of the king, but she knew better than to risk any more by demanding it from him again.

Besides, she thought she might be able to ask one of the guards or servants or some such about that. If the king refused her honest work (ironic, considering he would never refuse a woman's dishonest work as long as it benefited him), then she'd find someone who'd give her what she was owed. They hadn't heard what had gone on upstairs - she'd probably be able to get a few shillings out of them and be off before anybody noticed.

Then, as she scrambled out, not caring about the laundry getting dirty on the floor as she dragged her feet through several of them, she hoped that the next couple to own this house would have less to do with the king and his filthy slut of a queen.

And that they had a lot of laundry to do, to make up for the pay she'd be losing!

She slammed the door behind her, and Niles only stopped glaring at the wood once he knew it was not only shut, but also that Prudence hadn't lingered behind it to listen in on any conversations he and his beloved had afterwards. The woman was an absolute sneak, so he wouldn't put it past her.

But, perhaps a little bit to his surprise but also much to his satisfaction, all he heard on the other side of the door when he approached was the sound of hastily retreating footsteps, heading in the direction of the stairs.

_Good riddance to bad rubbish_, he thought. They could be left in peace, now that she was gone.

Well, as much peace as his mind would allow. He turned and started to make his way back to bed, but his mind was rapidly brimming with questions.

Who had found out what he'd said? Why had they turned them in? Where were they now – did they even still work at the palace? How would he find them and deal with them if they didn't?

But, most importantly of all, how could he have been so stupid?! He'd practically given his beloved away, in his own carelessness!

It was his fault they were there, instead of being tucked up in their own bed at the palace. It was his fault his beloved had been taken away, strapped down and tormented as she had been in labour.

It would've been his fault, too, had he arrived too late...

He didn't know how she could stand to look at him, as he got back into bed. The twins were starting to calm back down, now that the loud noises were over, but now it was their father's turn to feel like starting to cry. He didn't, but it was difficult to look at C.C. without his chest hurting like he'd been hit by a cannonball.

How was he going to make up for what he had done? He didn't know, but he had to at least try and start, if he ever wanted the pain to subside.

"I'm sorry," he managed to get out, though it was half-whispered. "I did this to you...I obviously wasn't careful enough when I told my mother the news! I did everything – or, I thought I had! We were in a private room, having a quiet conversation in French! But it doesn't even matter, I still got us found out–"

C.C. shushed him, interrupting his apology.

"It wasn't your fault, lover. You thought you were having a private conversation with your mother. And, as you said, you did everything you could to make it stay private," she said, her voice firm but somehow so kind and warm it was also soft. "You couldn't have known that someone would spy on you – particularly somebody who'd know French!"

Niles tried to protest, "But I should've–"

"You did everything you could," came his wife's reply. "And we are here. You stopped everything, and now our twins are your reward."

The king felt his insides melt, and he wondered what he had done to deserve such a loving, forgiving wife. Not even forgiving - just good. So good, she didn't even feel he needed forgiving! And she seemed to not want to hear a word of it, even if he had a thousand apologies on his lips, ready for her to hear.

He'd have them ready for whenever she wanted them, if she ever did.

"_You_ are my reward," he told her, coming in close and snuggling up, kissing the side of her head and staring down adoringly at the little bundles in her arms. "And our children are a blessing."

C.C. smiled up at him, "They certainly are. So, what do you say if we just relax and enjoy them now?"

Niles liked the sound of that very much. He cuddled up even closer than before, helping to take the weight of one of the children in his arms, while slipping the other around his wife.

His wife. His love, whom he'd imagined he'd never see again, but had now just given him two little miracles...

This was the start of their family, he thought. The first few days where they would learn what it was to be parents, all while ruling a kingdom at the same time.

It hadn't come about as he'd thought it might, but he was still too busy thanking God for the opportunity (second chance) that he didn't fully care. The demons who had tried to take her from him permanently would be dealt with, as would the treacherous filth who had given them away. His father was no longer a problem, so they wouldn't have to worry about his acceptance, either.

They could go home and they could rest, just as families were supposed to do. They'd have the happily ever after that he had promised.

And Niles didn't think he could wait for it to get started.


	35. Chapter 35

_**Chapter 34**_

If she had to dust in _one_ more bedroom in the entire pox-ridden palace, Ruth thought, she was going to get her revenge by relieving herself in the sheets. It wasn't like they could do anything about it either, was it? Not when she was five months along with the bastard spawn of a dead king and needed to take a piss every five seconds!

She hadn't meant to go and get herself pregnant. She'd been called to Joseph some time ago and he'd declared that it was time for her reward. Then he'd cleared a space on his desk and told her to hoist her skirts and bend over, because the Royal Barge was coming into port.

She'd kept her mind on the gold, which was on the surface in front of her, the whole time.

He'd tossed her the coins as soon as he'd refastened his breeches, of course, and then he'd told her to get out. Then, she'd heard nothing from him, until she was called in for another quick shag (and a few extra coins) two weeks later, when Queen Marie was holding out on giving the king anything other than the cold shoulder.

And that was when it had...happened. But by the time she'd discovered that it'd happened, it was too late to do anything about it. Joseph had said it "wasn't his problem" what she did with it, and had threatened to have her flogged when she'd insisted that he do anything to provide for the little runt he'd created in her.

He'd sent her away after that, brooding and gnashing at her own teeth. It was something she still did, whenever she thought about having to take care of this problem by herself and not even getting so much as a bag full of coins to show for it!

It was the Lord's own work that the fat, syphilitic pig was dead. He deserved it, for leaving her stuck with this mess and intending on just going on with his life, as though he didn't have any responsibility for her current situation.

As though he didn't have gold he owed her.

Still, that didn't help her problem – she was still stuck with the little parasite inside of her. She was sure even the most unscrupulous of backstreet abortionists wouldn't want to touch her problem at this late stage, either, and she wasn't such a fool that she'd throw herself down the stairs to get rid of it personally.

This knowledge made her feel even more annoyed and ready to explode every day. And as such, whichever poncey noble bitch found the surprise was going to have it coming, and Ruth might get some satisfaction over the fact that everything else was all so fucking difficult all of a sudden.

She took a paused moment in her dusting to glare hatefully down at her belly; huge, bloated and ugly to look at. Just like the Babcock girl had to have been by now, if she was still knocking around somewhere.

If looks had been able to kill, Ruth knew she wouldn't have been a mother any more at that moment. Why did she have to have..._this_? It wasn't as though the thing's so-called father would ever so much as look at it, or hand over even a measly sum to keep her quiet. And the king hadn't so much as _glanced_ in her direction, either – not even with that Babcock slut out of the way!

But why would he, she supposed bitterly, when she was so..._hideous?!_ Her stomach entered a room half a minute before the rest of her did, for God's sake!

Well, that hadn't exactly mattered when it was his own personal whore he was lavishing attention on, but apparently it must have done when it was any other available warm body who might have been ready and waiting. If he'd ever so much as looked up to check if there was anybody waiting to jump into his bed, that was!

How could he want some fat cow of a woman, falling and fawning all over her like she was the most sublime and adorable creature on Earth, and then act as though another, more beautiful woman who also happened to be round, did not even exist?!

She knew she'd go back to being the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, too, and get what she deserved as soon as he snapped out of the stupid little trance he was in and started paying attention to what was important.

The maid really didn't understand it. Why did he insist so much that the slut had to be found? He never stopped to think about anything else – not food, or wine, or women, even though he could have had his fill of all three for every day that she'd been gone. The bitch was stopping him from taking his rights as both a king and a man, even when she wasn't there!

He was ignoring everything else, too, even if Ruth didn't particularly care about that. The memory of the slut he'd insisted everybody would one day recognise as his "one and only" (even if that would obviously never be the truth) took front and centre stage compared to affairs of state.

It would be better if she never turned up, dead or alive. The Babcock bitch and whatever little lowborn filth she spawned could disappear forever, as far as Ruth was concerned.

It enraged her to think she'd been wrong, when she'd imagined that the king would immediately jump out of trying to make eyes at that whore as soon as she was out of sight. Telling his father may have gotten the Babcock girl out of the picture, but that picture was, unfortunately, still in the king's mind.

As soon as this mewling pound of flesh fell out of her, Ruth would make sure to wipe that image from his head permanently.

That, she concluded as she finally finished dusting the bloody room, was a much happier thought to have in mind. It wasn't like she had too many things to be happy about or look forward to, anyway. Quite the opposite, really...

She glared down at her pregnant stomach – a new mouth to feed, she thought to herself, and all on her meagre income. An income that she'd almost lost, mind you. She'd come within a hair's breadth of being fired, back when her superiors had found out about the baby, but upon some pleading on her part and promising she'd continue to work until the very moment the kid popped out, she'd saved herself from being kicked to the curb.

She only hoped the child was a boy – the little runt could be started in service in only a few years, but if she was unlucky enough to birth a girl, then Ruth thought she might as well abandon her on some dingy church doorstep. Maybe even sell her to one of the other maids; those who either wanted another kid (God knows why) or couldn't have children of their own.

The possibility of keeping a girl was absolutely out of the question – she'd be both a nuisance and a burden, and it would be years before she could sell her to men, in order to bring a few extra pennies at the end of the day.

"Oi, settle down in there!" she barked at her belly, just as the growing child moved in her. "You horrible pain in the arse!"

As if the little urchin was rebelling already, she felt a dull but hard jab in her insides, making her jolt and flinch and grunt in discomfort.

It also resulted in her nearly dropping the duster she'd been using, and that had been the final straw in her mind.

"Why, you––!" she nearly raised her arm to strike out at her own stomach, but remembered she'd only really be hurting herself at the last moment and lowered it again. She then pointed one warning finger at the point where she had been kicked. "You'll pay for that, as soon as I can get my hands on you!"

That seemed to shut it up for the time being, as best she could manage. That meant that she could at least try to finish tidying up the room, before moving onto the next one...

And the next...and the next, in an endless pattern that she was angrily doomed to repeat, for the rest of her days. All while being held back from doing anything fun or useful to her while she had this little bastard around her.

Of course, her back started its usual routine of aching through the work (with so many rooms still left untouched!), too, just seemed like the last nail in the coffin of anything she could possibly enjoy or feel comfortable about in her life.

Her only remaining consolation was that even if she was confined to this life, with the prospect of dragging a burden and a waste of space around for as long as it took them to either learn to muck out a stable or take a roll in the hay, she had it better than that Babcock slut. Nobody had taken _her_ away, or called _her_ out for being a whore, and she was going to get back in the new king's good books – and his bed – sooner or later.

Ruth grinned. She could see the little bitch now – screaming and crying, begging and pleading for it all to stop, end, finish in whatever way was quickest, as her own little bastard was taken away...

She could've avoided it all, had she known her place and simply understood that Ruth had had the king first. And she was the best he'd ever had, too.

That made her more important, no matter what any so-called "marriage" said! She knew everything the king liked, all the ways that could possibly please him and she had never once gotten it wrong. That little bitch he'd made pregnant hadn't ever so much as looked at a man before His Majesty had turned his eyes on her – how could she possibly do anything to truly please him, or know what he liked without doing it badly?

It had probably only ever made him bored, on most occasions. And, quite frankly, the more bored he'd been in bed with her, the better.

That meant he'd invite Ruth back all the sooner...

A sudden blast of loud fanfare echoing around the palace, coming from the open window, interrupted her (very pleasing) thoughts. She knew immediately who it was, of course – the king would have returned from whatever official business he had been away on, and he'd get back to his work from home for a little longer.

Ruth pursed her lips thoughtfully. The king had been gone for about a week now – was it too much to think that maybe he'd had a girl or two in that time? Maybe more? He'd once bragged aloud within her earshot that he'd had four in four different places in under a day, so it was not beyond his capabilities.

Perhaps he'd moved on from this nonsense about his pregnant whore and had returned to behaving as he should?

She hoped so. She knew those two-a-bit brothel birds weren't up to scratch; she's heard so from plenty of guards and stewards who preferred coming to (and on and in) her. And she knew the Babcock slut had been a virgin before – she'd know nothing about pleasing a man and would have bored him senseless in no time at all.

The king would be aching for the real deal by now. She could feel it. All she had to do was see the look on his face to get it confirmed.

The carriage had pulled up by the time she made it to the window (cursing her belly and the child inside it under her breath), but she immediately caught sight of the man she had been hoping to see.

King Niles, in all his...strangely joyful-looking glory...as he extended his hand back into the carriage doorway, and placing it underneath the elbow of...

Of...

Ruth wasn't sure if the scream of rage she felt at the sight and understanding was just in her head or if it was actually leaving her mouth. She didn't really care, either.

How could she, when she could clearly see that _Babcock whore_ getting ready to climb out of the carriage, the king supporting her from beneath?! And the only reason she was currently having trouble getting out by herself was because her arms were full – full with not one, but _two_ little disgusting bundles!

She'd somehow lived, and so had the little brat she'd been carrying. No, the _two_ little brats that she'd carried! The two that should have been dead and buried in some shallow grave with their mother right at that moment, while she showed their father what a real good time looked like!

How the hell had that slut survived, not only the treatment she'd deserved as a prisoner, but also pushing those two royal bastard brats out of her own miserable excuse for a womanhood?! Why did she get to birth two of the king's children and live, while Ruth couldn't even get him to stay inside her long enough to finish?!

Not that she envied the whore having to shove those two little mongrel pups out – just the fact that she was getting this special treatment, despite the fact that she'd never be worthy of it!

She wasn't worthy of her life, and yet somehow she'd been given it back. And Ruth suddenly felt a surge of anger unlike any she'd ever had before, as she hurled the feather duster she'd been using at the window, directly at the happy little family that she knew never should have existed. Unfortunately for her anger, the feathered side hit the glass, causing it to bounce off without leaving a mark and landing on the floor with a clatter.

"Well, that's bloody fantastic, isn't it?!" she huffed, glaring down at the duster she knew she'd somehow have to pick up.

That in itself was easier said than done, in her current state. Bending over with ease was one of the many things her pregnancy had taken away from her, and it had brought with it some very unpleasant little features: water retention, mood-swings and swelling.

Life truly wasn't fair. She knew that as definitely as she knew she'd sooner cut out her own womb than go through any of this again. At least she knew, right in that moment when her rival had returned, that it couldn't possibly get any wo–

_**Slam!**_

The door to the bedroom burst open, revealing Annie, one of the younger maids who had only recently joined service and therefore still retained her idiotic enthusiasm (no princes or kings had fucked that out of her yet). Her eyes were shining and her mouth stretched into a wide grin, which was obviously aching to burst with an unnatural and unnecessary squeal.

Ruth held back the urge to roll her eyes at the pathetic specimen in front of her, "Is there a reason for this intrusion on my work?"

"Forget about that for now!" Annie cried out, before seemingly remembering her place and ceasing to hop all over the place like an agitated rabbit. She coughed awkwardly. "Oh! Uh, forgive me, I got...overexcited. It's just that Her Majesty has been found and is home, at last!"

Ruth turned a dark look towards the window, "I saw. But it affects me how...?"

Annie jumped again, in optimistic realisation and duty this time, "Oh, yes! His Majesty has ordered us to come down and greet her, and to declare our loyalty with bows and curtsies!"

There was a silence after that, only pierced by the increasingly loud and fast breathing coming from Ruth. Had she heard it right? She couldn't have, could she? This stupid little girl, who had only been saved from some filthy sheets and all the men a brothel would take by sheer luck, couldn't have told her that the king expected them to be loyal to his slut!

"What did you say...?" Ruth whispered dangerously.

Annie didn't have a clue, and actually gestured urgently to the door, "We have to go down to Their Majesties now! They will be expecting us all, with bows and curtsies. Like I said."

Had the maid still not picked the duster up from the floor, she would have chucked it straight at the little fool's head.

Bow?! Curtsy?! Who did any of them think they were, to expect her to declare herself lower than a whore?! In front of everybody, as though it were right, or just, or fair! How could they get away with something so insolent, so abhorrent? She'd sooner die than willingly bend any part of her body to that slut, or the bastard children she had given birth to!

And the king...

There was once a time where she'd have gladly bent over before him, but now...

Well, suffice to say she didn't bow to foolish, lily-livered idiots. The king currently fit all categories.

But what choice did she have? It wasn't like she could refuse direct orders, and she couldn't use her pregnancy as an excuse to have a lie down. Common, down-to-earth people didn't have that privilege, unlike some very lucky whores that had managed to dig their claws into foolish men's hearts. She had to obey, whether she liked it or not.

"Fine then," she said and dusted herself off. "Where are we supposed to go?"

"The Great Hall," Annie replied. "Everybody is on their way as we speak."

As much as Ruth would have liked to reply that everybody was a dolt and could throw themselves in a ditch for His Majesty the Fucker and Her Majesty the Slut to walk on, she knew she couldn't. If she didn't go, it would stand out, and then there would be consequences.

There would also most likely be consequences for the names she'd called the king and his whore in her head, as Annie would probably be empty-headed enough to go around telling everybody. It would take the threat of death to shut that girl up, but even then, Ruth didn't think it would hold for long.

Then she'd have to get running, if she didn't want to be in for it more than Annie would already be. They needed to get moving as it was, so she started her long, lumbering march towards the stairs.

"Well, what are we waiting for, then?" she didn't even hold back from snapping that time, pushing past Annie as much as she could take a detour to achieve. "Let's get down there before we're missed!"

She eventually left the room, not stopping to look back and see if the girl was following her. She didn't have to – Annie soon overtook her in some sort of self-proclaimed race. She'd always make it there before Ruth did, given that she wasn't carrying the bastard spawn of anybody.

Yet, anyway. Ruth could already predict that some young buck who spent more time in front of a mirror than the ladies-in-waiting, would have his way with her within the year. That could mean she'd end up stuck with a little creature of her own. If not, it would be the next one, or the next...

She'd be ruined eventually. They all were.

And she herself thought she'd be ruined in a completely different sense, if she didn't go carefully enough down the stairs! The only spark of bright outlook she could take from it was that concentrating on not falling and breaking her back kept Annie's inane chatter from invading her mind.

She let the girl get far enough ahead to not be heard, when they eventually reached the ground floor. It was going to be bad enough having to see the slut in clothes she didn't deserve, carrying two children who should've been no more than seed spilled onto skin or dripped onto bedsheets or the floor...

It was going to be Hell, seeing that creature just dance into a life that Ruth had spent her entire existence trying to get.

It definitely _was_ Hell, when she made it through the doors and saw the servants gathering there, somehow crowding around but also trying to keep a "respectful" distance all at once. Not that Ruth knew why they were bothering. It wasn't as though a whore was entitled to respect. Or reverence. Or adoration. And yet, the more the maid looked and saw, the more she realised that was exactly what the others were giving her, even by standing excitedly in her presence!

Her seated presence (the cow had clearly demanded to be sat, even though she had no right to call herself tired), with those two awful little bastards clutched to her torso as though someone would snatch them from her at any moment. Ruth wished someone would – take them right from her arms and throw them into the palace well. Perhaps they'd vomit their last feed over her golden dress, too, and as she rose from the shock and horror of it all, that unlawful crown upon her head would fall to the floor with a clatter and roll upon it...

Then everybody would see past the "magnificence". The beauty and luxury that the bitch had stolen from her.

The others murmured apologetically as Ruth made her way through the crowd, which kept on jostling her in their own enthusiasm. A feeling the maid did not share in the slightest, of course. She just wanted the best vantage point possible, because if she had to be there, then it was only her right, wasn't it? She was carrying the previous king's bastard, after all, so that had to mean something.

Especially seeing as the other woman around with two bastards got to sit down, be fawned upon, and treated like she was pure gold when in reality, she was no higher than the dirt. She should've been in the dirt by now, Ruth thought bitterly as she finally found an elbow-free space in the crowd. Said space seemed to grow twice as large when she turned up, but she ignored that. It was better to not have to be surrounded by idiots, anyway.

Speaking of which, it wasn't long before she turned her hateful glare towards the king himself. He was also sat, looking like a cat who'd eaten all the mice in the pantry and had just been told he got to enjoy the cream as well. That fat cat would probably go back to enjoying the mice again, once he realised he was done with the cream.

And Ruth knew she could be there in a heartbeat, looking like the most succulent mouse of all. She thought she might even get a few more things out of him – perhaps a title, or a yearly payment – for birthing his little brother or sister. Again, it had to mean something, didn't it? There was no way the little runt could be completely useless.

But that would all have to wait. For now, she had to stand and scowl as the king clearly leaned over to speak to his undeserving whore. All of Ruth's days spent eavesdropping had meant so much practice that she could single out individual conversations if she had to. It was just unfortunate that she could hear it all, in this case.

The most nauseating things were coming from the king's lips.

"Are you sure you are quite alright, darling? You don't need another cushion for your back, or for me to hold one of the little ones? We are going to be here a while..."

Of course they would be! That idiot was going to have all of them kiss the slut's arse, over and over, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop him. Ruth couldn't believe she was saying this, but she missed the days when the Prince was nothing but a self-serving cad. Back then she could at least make a few extra coins out of him, and she didn't have a parasite growing in her womb.

She had another royal bastard to thank for the latter, but given that the late king was no more, Ruth was more than willing to direct all her hatred towards the royal couple – the fool and the slut, as she'd dubbed them. Still, for the life of her she couldn't comprehend what was so special about the Babcock bitch – her cunt had to be something else for King Niles, no less, to decide to tie the bloody knot.

Not that she'd admit it to anyone (let alone to the king himself) but she was a few years older than he was, and she still remembered the young prince he'd once been: a witty and ruggedly handsome young lad, who had cared little for rules and ignored propriety whenever it suited him best. That's why Ruth had gravitated towards him – he was easy prey. Men like that only need a little nudge here and there and some ego-stroking for them to do as she pleased. She'd believed herself the one woman who'd had him eating from the palm of her hand…

Clearly, she'd been wrong. And she burned with envy for not having manipulated that bastard like the Babcock bitch had. The sly little serpent had had more tricks up her sleeve than she'd cared to share.

She must have buried her true intentions very deeply indeed, to slip by unnoticed for so long. It was surprising that someone of her skill in the art of charm had waited so long to act on her plan. But perhaps that had been part of the plan as well? To look as though she'd had no interest and would never give up the chase, simply to make herself into an unobtainable prize that the king couldn't help but want?

She didn't know. She couldn't say.

But it certainly looked as though even Ruth had failed to see the slut for what she was, or how well she had been doing it. But that didn't really make much sense; the maid took great pride in her ability to judge other people. Character, in particular. Not that there seemed to be any other option – the whore and the king couldn't have truly been in love. Love was nothing more than a fairytale pushed onto people who hadn't yet seen the ugly truth. Everybody learned it, in the end – some just learned it sooner than others.

And it might have been ugly, but that didn't make it any less necessary to tell. Love simply didn't exist.

Ruth knew it for a fact; she didn't have to be told – she'd never felt it once in her life, so it couldn't be real, could it? Love didn't exist beyond men telling women the word so they could play on their fantasies to get them into bed, or so women could get free trinkets from fools, or for parents to trick their children into not hating them.

The former two former had worked for a time, until the bitch she was glaring at had muscled her way into the front of the queue, when it came to the prince's favourite bed warmers.

And the whore was still smiling, all sickly and warm like honey that had been in a pot over the fire, up at the man she was sharing this delusion with.

"No, darling – I'm quite alright, thank you. It's more than enough just to be sat comfortably at all...!"

It picked away at the maid to not know how they could both be so taken in by a disgusting lie that did nothing to benefit either of them. No one was gaining more than the other – it was almost as though the entire thing was at a stalemate!

But she had to stop listening, before the entire dialogue between them made her throw up on the person in front. Of course, she could use being pregnant as an excuse to "let out her feelings" wherever she needed (or wanted), but at this point, she thought she'd rather just get the whole affair over and done with. She didn't want it stopping for any reason, and becoming the centre of that kind of attention was the last thing she currently needed.

She might've been safe in King Joseph's court as long as she made room for two orbs and a sceptre, but this wasn't his court anymore. This was a new court with new rules and new players, and Ruth had yet to find her place. She'd once been the preferred whore of the English nobility; it was only a matter of time before she was back on top (both literally and figuratively).

It was frustrating that she was back to square one with the king thanks to his bitch of a wife, but she'd climb her way up eventually. She knew the king – it was only a matter of time before his urges overtook him, and she knew just how to whet his insatiable appetite for women.

It was a few more minutes until the last of the palace inhabitants had arrived at the Great Hall, but eventually everyone was there and the doors were closed. Ruth silently thanked the Heavens – she couldn't really be on her feet for long, and she was already longing for this to be over and done with so she could go and have a lie down while pretending to dust one of the countless guest rooms. She'd done it a few times before, and honestly those beds were something else! Nothing like the rickety cots the servants had to make do with.

Ruth sometimes wondered if those noble arseholes knew just how good they had it. How utterly privileged they were. And all because someone at some point had licked enough royal bottoms to warrant a title and some land. What made them better than the rest of the mortals? She wasn't a good person, by any means, nor she wished to be one, but neither were most of the men she slept with. They had the same rotten moral compass as her, and yet they got to sit at the table with la crème de la crème and be waited after by a slew of poor devils who tripped over themselves to please masters who couldn't care less about them. It was ridiculous, all of it. The pomp, the circumstance, the idiotic notion of social superiority just because a person just happened to have popped out of a noble vagina…

The whole system could just go rot. Or burn – God knows she'd like to see that! So she was going to lie, cheat and swindle; abuse and fool the system as many times as she bloody could without feeling an ounce of regret or guilt. She'd put the middle finger up at every single one of them, over and over, until she was no more.

To Hell with the consequences.

Now, if this latest display of arrogance and stupidity could be over, she'd be in a better mood. Everybody had filed in, obediently and like good little children, so now it had to be time for their oh-so-noble king to stop making eyes at the slut he'd fucked in the dirt before lifting her out of it, and get on with telling them all why they were here.

It wasn't so much that he didn't disappoint, when he came forward to speak; it was more that Ruth's patience had been wearing so thin that all she could to was hold back a groan and the word "finally".

King Niles seemed to study each one of them – that he could see, anyway – carefully. He looked like he was trying to scrutinise them, for some reason, before he finally addressed them.

"Ladies, gentlemen, friends of all ranks within this household – I bid you welcome, on this most joyous and happy of days. My beloved wife, your queen, has been found miraculously alive, and has been returned to the palace, to rule by my side."

Ruth rolled her eyes when everybody else started to applaud and cheer. Did they even know who, or what they were cheering for? Some little slut who had pulled some sort of strange wool over the king's eyes, and had tricked him into filling her with enough seed to create those two bastards she now held in her arms!

And he was continuing as though there was nothing wrong in the world.

"As part of that miracle, and as a testament to her strength, she has fought through a terrifying ordeal to give birth to our two children. Your new prince and crown princess – William Andrew Stewart and Charlotte Marie Beatrice, respectively."

_Crown Princess_. Ruth had forgotten about that little detail – the royal donkey had changed the succession law, probably to please his whore. As much as she would love to be a royal and do nothing all day long, she wouldn't want to be in that runt's shoes. She'd much rather be an accessory to a powerful man than wield power herself, for power entailed responsibility and hard work. That kid would have to deal with Parliament and all the burdensome tasks of reigning a land – hardly something to be envied.

"From this point onwards," continued the Royal Ass, "your allegiance to me translates into your allegiance to my wife, as the new mistress of the house and queen of this nation."

Fat chance, Ruth thought to herself. If he expected her to serve, respect and pledge loyalty to his favourite slut, then he was going to be disappointed. The most she'd do for that bitch (if she was having a good day) was not spit in her drink when she served her afternoon tea.

In an ideal world, she'd be allowed to watch each time for the moment the Royal Slut was about to take a sip, and then she'd describe – in graphic detail – everything that His Idiocy had done to Ruth. Every part, position and things he'd cried out while he'd done them.

She'd get to watch as the bitch spat it out, spraying tea down herself and maybe even dropping the cup in her lap. Or on the expensive rug beneath her feet. Either way, it would be utterly delightful to see the whore humiliated and hurt by it. And Ruth had plenty of stories to tell...

But before she could get comfortable day dreaming about telling the slut any of them, something the idiot said made her prick up her ears and pay attention to the conversation again.

"Those who kidnapped my wife are traitors to this nation and shall be punished accordingly," he said, eyes piercing the entire room at once. "As will those who aided and abetted them. One person of which, I know for a fact, works in this very palace."

Gasps echoes around the room immediately, followed by a mixture of worried and excited chatter. It was immediately silenced when the king raised a hand and spoke again.

"It was this person who gave my wife, your queen, away to my father. It was this person who allowed her to be found and kidnapped, which in turn threatened to end the royal bloodline, had my wife and our children never been found," he lowered his hand, curling it into a light fist at his side. "And I fully intend to find out who this person is. If anyone present has information regarding this person, I invite them to come to me personally. If you have information and do not, then you will be treated exactly the same as all those who have betrayed us over these last dark days."

The chatter came back again almost immediately, panicked and slightly angry-sounding. Like bees that thought their hive was being threatened.

But Ruth didn't join in. Not even to scoff or roll her eyes. In fact, she was practically frozen to the spot, and had only just been able to move to check that she had neither gone into extremely early labour nor pissed herself in the middle of the room.

Traitors. Punished. Information. How was she supposed to hide from any of that?! If she tried to run, they'd catch her right away – it would be so obvious it was her if she attempted to pack up and leave, and the guards would have her arrested before she'd even finished putting her things in a basket to take with her!

She was stuck. Caught like a rabbit in a snare, and there was nothing she could do about it.

She'd have to lie low from now onwards – probably until her child was born. The birth would give her the perfect excuse to walk away from the palace; after all, who would suspect a young new mother? Needing a break after delivering a child was something women did, so why would she be any different?

That would be her cover.

She'd be without a job and without shelter, but running away would be better than being sentenced to death. Everybody knew traitors' deaths were never fast – they were dragged out and painful, and Ruth didn't wish to suffer the same fate as any of them. The runt she'd give birth to would have to be disposed of (she had herself to feed first, before thinking about feeding a second mouth), but until that moment came she had to play the part of a happy expectant mother.

One that absolutely didn't regret having a bloody parasite growing inside her…

"Now," the king said, the Hall reverberating to the sound of his powerful voice. "All of you will come forward, bow to your queen and, afterwards, you'll be dismissed."

Immediately, the servants all began to organise themselves into some form of system that would get them in front of the slut. Ruth found herself jostled again as she was placed directly in the middle of the line, rolling her eyes when no one was looking at the state of it all.

They had to be moving fast to get the Hell out of there, didn't they? They couldn't actually be looking forward to pledging their allegiance to the king's whore...! She certainly wasn't, even as the queue in front of her got shorter and shorter...

Until she was finally called up.

And the moment Niles saw that it was her turn, his eyes watched like a hawk. Scrutinising, speculating, suspicious at all times – why would he not be, when that awful cow of a woman had proven herself to be nothing but a liar and a thief?

She was more than that, too, if the size and roundness of her stomach was anything to go by. It must have been a very long time since he'd seen her wandering anywhere near him while he had been in the palace – he didn't remember her being so pregnant she had to waddle herself up the way towards the throne where his wife was sat!

She could barely curtsy before her queen, when the time came. If she was truly trying, that was. It was plain as day that she had never forgiven him for dismissing her, once she had stolen C.C.'s bracelet, and it was clear to a man with no eyes that she hated his wife with every fibre of her being.

She held a grudge, that was for certain.

It didn't really surprise him to see her so pregnant, either, what with her...reputation...but it did make him wonder.

Wonder so much, that when Ruth had turned to leave (making her way moodily through the crowd at the back), he called over one of the other, younger maids who had already sworn her loyalty. The girl (Annie, he'd learned was her name) was practically a squirrel – small and fast, with enough vocabulary in her lungs to fill an entire library several times over.

"Your Majesty! It is an honour, truly, and...well, what can I do for you...?!"

Niles immediately hushed the girl, not keen to have his plan ruined by a new maid who clearly got overexcited easily. As long as she could carry the task out, that was all that mattered.

Besides, she was so young, he hardly thought Ruth would even notice.

"I wish for you to keep an eye on her," he told her, indicating clearly to Ruth so she couldn't be mistaken. "Do not let her realise you are watching what she does. If she says anything, or does anything suspicious, you are to report it to me immediately. No exceptions."

After he had confirmed once more that the girl had understood (and it was hard, considering her excitable chatter had returned to how it had been before, at first), he was satisfied. Annie seemed ready for it, too, dashing off to tail her mark.

Meanwhile, he returned to watching the procession. It didn't take long for him to turn a loving smile on his wife again. Soon to see the traitor who had sold her down the river meet a not-so-swift end.

If his gut instincts were correct, that was.

And if the one enemy he knew for sure C.C. had in the palace tripped, or slipped up, and exposed herself for all the residents to see.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 35**

Marie cursed her luck for what felt like the thousandth time that morning as she heaved what little food remained in her stomach into a tin bucket one of her maids had left at her bedside. The sickness came in waves, but by the time it was over, the Queen Mother barely had any strength left to move.

It took an inhuman effort on her part just to put the bucket down (all while making sure it didn't tip over or spill) and collapse against her pillows once again. It had to be food poisoning – otherwise, she simply couldn't explain why she'd been so bloody sick for the past three days or so!

It was just her luck, as it was, that she could barely stand when she was needed downstairs.

The news of C.C. having been found had reached the palace the previous day – Marie had been having a bath when one of her maids had rushed into the washing room and announced that England's new queen was safe and sound and had delivered two healthy babies – a prince and a crown princess. Two heirs that would carry on their dynasty…

Two precious grandchildren for Marie to spoil rotten.

She honestly couldn't wait to meet them, nor could she wait to give C.C. a big, tight hug. After having believed her dead (or about to be dead), having her back with them was nothing short of a miracle. Marie had prayed nightly for C.C.'s safe return (even if deep down she feared God had shunned her for what she'd done…) and the Lord had delivered. She had her daughter back.

Thus Marie's irritation at not being able to be downstairs to receive them, but she knew for a fact that, should she try to stand up, she'd probably fall face first on the floor.

"Merde…" Marie grumbled to herself, head throbbing and throat burning.

"My, I think that's the first time I've heard you curse, Maman!"

The voice of her son calling out to her drew her eyes to the door. And, despite her discomfort and all her pains, Marie found herself suddenly beaming at what she could see there.

Niles wasn't alone. Stood with him, grinning from ear to ear and carefully carrying two tiny, adorable bundles, was the woman she had been missing so much for what had felt like a dreadful eternity.

And the two little bundles, giving out little cries that signified to the world they were awake and ready for anything, seemed to get more precious the longer she looked at them...!

Her family was there. The one she had previously thought she'd lost, before it had even started. The one she'd been granted, when so many of her other children had gone ahead of her...

The one she'd killed for, and would do so again if it came down to it.

"You are going to 'ear a lot more of eet, eef you do not come and greet your mozher!" she cried out, trying not to laugh too much because it scratched at her throat right at that moment.

Neither king nor queen needed to be told twice. They may have been the most powerful people in the country, but if there was one person they would both obey in an instant, it was Marie. She was the glue that bonded their family together, and she was in need of more comfort than ever after Joseph's death.

Besides, she had been so ill that she had not been able to come down and see them arrive, or even meet the children! That had to be rectified at once!

And Niles did want to check on her up close, too. She'd been this way for three days, without any sign of what the cause could be. It was gnawing at him, not knowing, and he wanted to try every possible remedy to see if that cured whatever this mystery illness was (he didn't care what it actually was, as long as it went away and left his mother alone).

This latest attempt would be by surrounding her with even more love and attention than she would usually receive. It was no less than she deserved, anyway.

"Oh, my darlings, I'm so 'appy to see you all!" said the Queen Mother, reaching out and wrapping her arms around both Niles and C.C.

She pressed two sound kisses on each of their cheeks, tears running down her cheeks – happy tears, at that. Happy glorious tears, the kind her late husband had never brought on (save, perhaps, for each time she'd safely delivered a child). And speaking of delivered children, she had yet to meet the two youngest members of their clan – her grandchildren.

They were still being held safely in their mother's arms, both now awake and peering at the unknown world around them. Marie loved to see infant curiosity, it was extremely adorable. Babies were in awe of the simplest things, from the wide open sky above them, to a little worm wriggling about the place.

"So, are you going to introduce us?" the Queen Mother rasped, gesturing between herself and the babies. "I am not getting any younger, you know!"

Laughing, C.C. more than happily brought the two little ones forward to meet their grandmother for the first time.

"This is William," she said, beaming proudly as she held her boy out a little for Marie to see. And then she did the same with her little girl, too. "And this is Charlotte."

"Her full name is Charlotte Marie Beatrice," Niles said, a wide smile forming on his lips as he announced it. "Named after her two grandmothers."

The words were not lost on Marie, even though she had almost been lost in the captivating sight of her grandchildren.

They...they'd named the baby...for her?

It almost felt unreal, how much the knowledge enveloped her in a kind of warmth and comfort she had never experienced before. It felt like her illness had been cured, simply by knowing. It was happiness. It was love. It was the overwhelming honour of being important enough to those she loved so much that they wanted the next generation to share her name...!

She had nearly teared up from being sick so much only hours ago. But now, the tears came with a heart full to burst and a need to hug both adults present.

"Oh...oh, my dear ones...! You 'ave no idea 'ow 'appy you 'ave made me!" she cried out, bringing her arms up to them as she still couldn't stand.

She was starting to feel dizzy again, and she knew what came when the dizziness did. She'd had three days of it so far; how much more could she take?

One thing was certain - she needed to say what she wanted to say next very quickly.

"I am honoured, zhat you would zhink of me when naming your own firstborn daughter! I am so very zhankfu––!"

Before she could finish what she was saying, she had to lean over and once more vomit into the tin bucket, causing both Niles and C.C. to jump back in surprise at first. But, as she continued to empty her stomach of whatever was left, Marie suddenly felt a hand on her back, rubbing it gently.

"Still not better?" Niles asked, sighing.

Marie shook her head.

"Eet'z just my luck," the Queen Mother grumbled. "Just when you two need me on my feet, I'm bedbound!"

"You don't have to worry about it, Maman," Niles said as he helped Marie lie back down. "We have plenty of help – so you just rest. I'll have Potts come and check on you."

"That sounds like a good idea – you go get the doctor and I'll stay here with your mother," C.C. interjected and perched on the side of Marie's bed, twins still safely held in her arms.

Niles nodded quickly in return, before squeezing his mother's shoulder reassuringly, kissing his wife on the cheek and stroking the twins' heads gently before dashing off. He had a doctor to find, and he looked every inch a man who would refuse to fail in his quest.

He probably wouldn't be long. Dr Potts would be working somewhere in the palace, in all likelihood, and then he could come and – God willing – find out what was wrong.

If she was really lucky, he'd have a cure on hand...

But, for the moment, she was sat in the company of the one woman she'd been anxious to see for days. And she was accompanied by the two tiny grandchildren Marie had had nightmares about never meeting.

It settled her heart and her head (even if it could do nothing for her stomach) to have them so close. She couldn't imagine the turmoil C.C. must have been through, or the terror of being taken away. To spend even a few days as a prisoner was, in Marie's mind, as frightening and awful as if the person were to be locked away for life. Not to mention how scared she must have been for the safety of the twins!

She herself already knew the crushing sense of heartbreak and failure at knowing she had outlived her child. Most of her children. She would never wish such a thing as losing a son or daughter on anyone.

It had been so close...

"'Ow are you feeling, chérie?"

She had to ask. Perhaps her daughter-in-law would release a few of her burdens? Maybe it would help her to relax in her own space again? But C.C., who looked up at Marie briefly when she was addressed, pursed her lips slightly and returned to looking at the twins.

"Better."

The soft, one-word reply marked the start of a long silence. A silence in which the younger woman never once looked up from her children. It was obvious to anybody with eyes that she clearly did not want to talk.

Marie felt her stomach sink, as though a ship she was on had just broken a particularly large wave. It had completely overtaken the previous feeling of happiness that she'd had, and she could entirely forget about whatever was causing her upset stomach.

Of course she didn't know the details, but Marie could sense that this was the work of the bastards who had taken her. Just what had gone on in that place, while she had been there?! What had they done, or threatened to do, that had made C.C. so quiet?

What had the woman who was more her daughter than daughter-in-law seen? What had been done to her? Had she had to give birth under duress? Had Niles been there to support her? Had Dr Potts been there to assist her?

Marie had countless questions, all of them pressing and all of them worrying. Still, she couldn't and wouldn't ask. C.C. would speak on her terms, and Marie was determined to respect her daughter-in-law's wishes. She'd do everything in her power to ensure that C.C. was comfortable and safe.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, little Charlotte started fussing in her mother's arms, mewing and wriggling, clearly hungry and in urgent need of a feed. William had soon followed in his sister's footsteps, and was crying for his mother's milk.

"Ah, zhey are 'ungry, no?" Marie said, smiling softly.

"It looks like it," replied the Queen, trying to shush her children and gently bouncing them in her arms. "Although I _did_ feed them two hours ago!"

"Zhey are taking after zheir fazher," said Marie. "'e was always 'ungry. So much so zhat I eventually 'ad to accept zhe 'elp of a wet nurse. I didn't want one at first, but zhat's just–"

"I don't want one either," replied C.C.. "But I will probably need one, seeing as I have two. I can't feed them both at once…"

Marie saw the look of disappointment, worry and shame on C.C.'s face, and remembered her own feelings when she found out that what she was giving wasn't enough to keep her baby fed and happy.

It had made her feel terrible, watching as a nurse had to do what she should have been doing. It had felt like she was failing as a mother. She didn't want to see that happen to C.C.. It had made Marie question too much, where her daughter-in-law deserved only peace. Especially after her ordeal.

Luckily, Marie had fast learned one little trick that she'd employed when she was in no position to feed Niles, and that she thought might come in useful here.

"Give William to me," she said, holding out her arms for him.

C.C. wasn't entirely sure where this could be going, but she slowly and carefully slipped her son into Marie's arms. She trusted her more than enough to know nothing bad would happen.

She watched as Marie gently placed her little finger in the baby's mouth, quietening his cries for food when he began to suckle.

And her jaw nearly entirely dropped.

"Eet eez somezhing I learned, after some time," Marie explained, noticing the look of awe on her features. "Eet keeps a baby calm until zhey can be fed."

"That's...that's brilliant!" replied the queen. "I'd have never thought of it."

"Well, now you know," Marie said, smiling at her daughter-in-law. "But per'aps you should start feeding Lottie – my finger can only do so much before William gets fussy."

C.C. nodded and got down to business, loosening her corset and then gently guiding Lottie to her breast, which her daughter took to like a duck to water. It wasn't long before she'd filled herself up with C.C.'s milk, so Marie and C.C. switched the babies so C.C. could feed Will and Marie could burp Lottie.

A pleasant silence grew between the two women as they attended to the youngest Brightmore children. They both needed the quiet, given their fragile state – physical, in Marie's case, and emotional, in C.C.'s. There would be time for them to discuss what had happened, but it wasn't then.

"I can't believe Niles and I made them..." C.C. mumbled, breaking the silence that had settled around them. "It's...surreal. I carried them inside me for so long, and yet their very existence feels like a miracle."

"Oh, I know 'ow you feel," Marie said, caressing little Lottie's cheek. "I felt zhe same way when each of my children were born – zhe magic was always zhere, eeven eef my deliveries where always deefficult."

C.C. nodded. She understood what Marie meant, even if the difficulties they'd faced during their labours hadn't been the same.

For Marie, it had been the task of the births themselves that had nearly been too much to bear. God only knew how much pain that had to have brought her, but she'd pushed through it anyway, to feel the love for all her children, those who had made it...and those who were now in Heaven, waiting for her.

And as for her own difficulty...well, if was nothing like her mother-in-law has been through. The birth was easy, in comparison to the things Marie had told her. C.C.'s own difficulty had come in believing – knowing, at the time – that her life would be ended as soon as it was over.

She hadn't wanted to be away from her babies. The thought of them being snatched, after she'd carried and protected and loved them for months on end, had been too much to bear.

"Yes," she said quietly, eventually. "I know what you mean. Of course, mine did become easier once Niles had arrived and the Carlisles were arrested, but my love for our babies wasn't any less strong than it is now..."

Marie felt her heart break all over again at the very mention of what her daughter-in-law had gone through. It had been torn open already in that moment, just from thinking of all the children she'd had that she'd never been able to hold, love or nurse, but the pain became doubly worse when she was reminded that she'd nearly lost another whole part of her family.

A daughter-in-law who was like a daughter, and her first grandchildren.

The first time she'd heard, and been made to think they were already dead, she'd been driven to murder. She could scarcely think what she would have done, had she found out that C.C. had been kept alive for a little longer, and she and the babies could've been rescued...

It was an horrific thought – one she shook out of her head, before it could take hold.

"You 'ave been...very brave indeed, chérie..."

C.C. definitely didn't feel like she'd been particularly brave. She'd just...done what any other woman would have done, in her position. Just kept her babies inside for as long as she could possibly manage it...

She hadn't had the strength to fight back like she'd wanted to - to shove away her captors and send them flying. To knock them unconscious in one go, and bolt for the exit as quickly as a woman pregnant with twins could...

It was all fantasy to imagine, but she wished she'd been a little bit more like that. Not just sat and waited for the miracle of help to arrive.

Not that she was ungrateful to her husband, of course! He and his men had found them when it had looked like they'd never be found, and that awarded them respect and gratitude for the rest of her days.

She just wished that, in some ways, she could be more like them. Charging into the fray, turning the tide, saving the day...

She sighed, the corner of her mouth pulling at the right frown the very idea was making her wear.

"I know you mean it, so I appreciate the sentiment. But I do not think I have been as brave as you are suggesting."

"Nonsense!" Marie said, waving a dismissive hand. "You pulled zhrough eet and managed to safely deliver two heirs to zhe zhrone. Zhat alone makes you ten times braver zhan most."

C.C. shrugged and gave Marie a small smile – she still didn't believe herself to be particularly brave, but the last thing she wanted was to argue with her mother-in-law. She just wanted some peace and quiet.

Besides, her husband had promised he had a surprise waiting for her – their official private chambers as king and queen.

Traditionally, the king and queen slept in separate chambers, save for the times the King visited the queen's chambers to spend the night together. However, and as it had become rather obvious, Niles wasn't a traditionalist. He'd wanted them to have joint chambers, and his word was law.

That way Marie had been able to keep her chambers, too. Otherwise, she would have had to be moved to the Queen Mother's rooms. It hadn't made sense to uproot everybody purely for the sake of a tradition that would never have applied anywhere else, or impacted upon anyone else's lives. So, they had simply decided to step right over it.

Step over it, and move forward. And if anybody in the court didn't like that fact – anybody at all – then they could go not like it somewhere else.

Times like this were the only occasions where C.C. felt the right amount of brave. But it only lasted as long as her mood, or as the situation needed. She was also starting to hope that Niles would return with the doctor soon. She really wanted for them to be able to see – and to potentially work out – the state that recent events had left Marie in. As soon as they had a doctor's prognoses, they could see about getting her fully well again!

It was Marie who was being brave now, really. She had to have still felt at least a little bit awful, after throwing up so much, but she was putting a gentle smile and a dismissive wave on, all for the sake of her family.

"I was merely following my predecessors and carrying on a noble tradition," C.C. said, shifting the baby in her arms to be more comfortable. She looked over towards the door, too. "But Niles and Dr Potts should hopefully be here, at any moment..."

She didn't have to ask to know that Marie could tell she was being subtly dismissive. Trying to shift the conversation on from the praise C.C. didn't feel was merited, without arguing about it. But, before the Queen Mother could open her mouth to protest (and possibly gently scold her for not accepting her own "heroism"), the door opened at the far end of the room.

It was almost as though C.C.'s words had become prophecy - and as though her prayers had been answered, in equal measure. Niles had returned with Dr Potts. The Royal Physician hurried along behind the king as best an older man could, when confronted with the possibility of having to keep up with someone decades his junior.

"You're back...!"

The sound of his wife's relief drew the king to the bedside immediately. At first, as he'd come close, he'd feared that maybe his mother had taken another turn, but when he saw the two women there, each cradling a baby in their arms, the rising crushing feeling in his stomach subsided, like a heavy wave at sea that fell back into the tides when they dropped.

They were fine. He hadn't been gone as long as it had felt, and now that he had brought the proper person with him to see to his mother, he could rest more easily.

"Yes, and now we can get this mystery solved once and for all," he said, seating himself on the bed with the rest of his family. He then turned to Potts, who was waiting a respectful distance away. "You know your trade, Doctor. What do you think is happening here?"

"I will need to examine your lady mother, Your Majesty," Potts said.

"Zhat's alright, Dr Potts," Marie replied before turning to her son. "You go a'ead and show your wife your new joint chambers. I'll be alright."

Niles looked uncomfortable – he was unsure about how he should proceed. He wanted to be there for his mother, but at the same time he knew C.C. needed her rest after her ordeal.

And, as though she had read his mind, C.C. gently rested her baby in one arm, while taking his hand with the other.

"It will all be fine, my love," she said. "Your mother is in more than capable hands, and we can come back later."

"Nozhing in zhe world would delight me more. Apart, per'aps, from zhis sickness going away...!" Marie agreed with a smile and a light laugh. Then, she turned serious again, addressing Niles. "But, for now, C.C. needs to rest, mon petit bonbon. You 'ave done everyzhing you need to 'ere. See to your wife, and to your children. Zhe doctor will call you eef you are needed furzher."

Niles felt himself wanting to protest more, but between the loving look on his wife's face and the encouraging look on his mother's, he caved.

"Alright. We will go, for now."

They were right, he knew that deep down; it was just difficult when he wanted to look after every single member of his family, all at once...!

He supposed that was what his mother had done for all those years. That realisation actually made him feel worse, because he and his father had never earned such love or care.

But he also knew that now wasn't the right time to argue over such things. His mother was with the one other person in the kingdom he'd fully trust with the well-being of his family, and he had to get his wife to their new chambers.

So, he helped C.C. to her feet, careful not to disturb the baby, and took the other twin from Marie's arms, before kissing her on both cheeks, promising to be back if she needed anything.

He then helped his wife out of the room, as best he could while carrying one twin as she held the other. Luckily, C.C. seemed to find his attempts at helping amusing, rather than too much.

At least it made her happy. Just as he wanted all of his family to be.

He wanted them all to be safe, too. And they'd only find that out when Potts was finished with his examination.

Niles could only hope it wouldn't take long.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 36**

A summon from the king was not something to be taken lightly. Every self-respecting nobleman knew that. If the master called, you'd better run to him, and you'd better do it fast.

Being in the king's good books was the golden rule that had to be followed at all times. It didn't matter if the king was well liked or not – as long as he held the power, they had to respond. Good service ensured a tranquil and comfortable life. Bad service, on the other hand...

Well, suffice to say that none of the vast possibilities that could result from not obeying the king were pleasant.

The Carlisles would soon find that out.

Still, every monarch was bound to handpick a few favourites from among the ranks, and King Niles had a clear idea who were to be his right-hand men (and woman!). Maxwell Sheffield and Noel Fitzstewart were the first two names that had come to the king's mind, and thus they were summoned first and were the first to arrive at the king's study. Next, came the newly appointed butler – Patrick Smith.

Niles had known the latter since childhood. Patrick was the son of the previous butler, but unlike his father, he was fiercely loyal to Niles. He was more than just a servant – he was a friend, first and foremost. Lastly, was the Duchess of Sheffield, Maxwell Sheffield's wife and the new First Lady to the Queen.

These were the people Niles trusted most to do what he had in mind. They each had the resources and knowledge he needed at their disposal, and they were all such close friends, he knew they wouldn't let him down. All he'd have to do was ask, and they'd set to work.

But first, obviously, they had to be told why they were there.

"Good, you're all here," he began as soon as Fran had come in and closed the door behind her. "There is something of great importance that I have to discuss with all of you."

"What is it, Your Majesty?" Patrick asked, before immediately straightening up and folding his hands behind his back. It was a habit he had when he felt he had stepped out of line. "If you don't mind my asking, of course."

The king held back a frown. Patrick probably felt quite out of place, being summoned among rich nobility. He didn't realise just how close a friend he needed to be, for this to work. But Niles wasn't going to bring that up and embarrass him. Besides, it was a fair question, considering the fact that he'd never usually summon them all together like this.

"I do not mind it at all," he replied, before continuing to his point. "I need all of you here to help me with a matter relating to my wife's kidnapping."

"But...isn't that all over and done with now, Your Majesty?" Maxwell piped up, concern rising in his voice. "We arrested the traitors who did it..."

"We arrested those who orchestrated the kidnapping and took my wife prisoner," Niles explained. "But we did not, however, find the one who told my father that C.C. and I were married. The one who set the whole plan in motion. I suspect that they are still working in this palace, and I need everyone here to work with me to find them."

A quiet gasp in the room was followed by a nasal tone.

"Ya mean there's a traitor in the palace...?!" Fran asked, clearly both horrified and somehow fascinated by the idea at the same time.

Her interest could only be a good thing. Her penchant for finding out gossip and all the latest rumours within a several-mile radius certainly was, in this case. If there was a secret going around, even in hushed whispers, Fran was bound to hear it, sooner rather than later.

And Niles definitely thought that he could make use of it.

"I believe so. My mother and I only ever conversed in French to talk about C.C., and spoke privately, and yet somehow we were still found out. The only possibility I can think of, is that someone was hiding in the back passage to my mother's chambers. There must be a servant here who can speak French, but has never revealed this to anyone," he answered. "I can only imagine that they are still working here. Unless, of course, they left soon after committing their act. In which case, we may have to look a little further. But this is where you all come in. I have tasks for everyone here, relating to finding out information and bringing this person to justice."

"Well, I can't speak for anybody else present, but I'm more than game for that," Noel replied immediately, looking around at the others. He was very much still looking forward to being able to take revenge on the people who had hurt his little sister, clearly. "Just tell me what you need, and I'll more than happily oblige."

That was certainly the sort of reply Niles wanted to hear. And he was more than certain that what he had in mind for Noel would please him no-end. He knew his brother-in-law wouldn't let him down; he never did.

"Good," he said, satisfied with his explanation and prepared to continue. "Does anybody have any questions, or queries, before we move on to discussing your individual tasks?"

He wanted to give them all one last chance to speak up, if they didn't feel comfortable with anything. Not that he was expecting anybody to back out – they had all hated C.C.'s kidnappers as much as he had – but he wanted to know if they had any doubts about their ability to complete their task.

He had complete faith in them, but they needed to be sure as well.

"None here," came Fran's reply to his question. "I'm with yer brother-in-law in this. Tell me what you need done, and I'll do it."

"As will I," Maxwell agreed, taking his wife's hand. "You have our full support in anything you do, Sire, as always."

"And you know that I am always here to serve," Patrick said with a smile. "What would you have us all do, my lord?"

Niles felt himself warmed inside, to be surrounded by friends who would do anything for him. Anything for C.C.. For their family, and what they had built. And now they were all going to stand united, as they flushed out a traitor like hunting hounds flushed out a nervous hare.

And this person had every damn reason to be nervous.

"Let's start handing out responsibilities, and it is only good manners to allow ladies to go first," he turned to Fran, "Lady Sheffield, your task will be to gather information from the ladies of the court. If any of them know anything, or saw anything – if there is gossip of any kind, I want to know about it."

Fran appeared almost delighted by the responsibility. It was certainly entirely her field of expertise – even if it wasn't vital information, she usually picked up gossip of all kinds around the palace!

"You can count on me, Your Majesty," she said, trying to nod and make it as serious as she could, without letting her interest and excitement get in the way. "I will get workin' on it as soon as I can."

Niles nearly smiled in amusement himself, "I know you will. And that brings me on to the next person to receive their orders from me..."

He turned a little to his right – to where Maxwell was sat, next to his wife.

He had had to think about this one very carefully, but he truly knew there was no one better than the duke for this responsibility.

"My friend, you have quite a special and specific task. You are a military man, so I know you are more than capable of what needs to be done here. I am appointing you captain of the palace guard, and your task, in amongst your new duties, is to be my eyes and ears around this palace."

"That should be simple enough," replied the duke. "My men are certainly up to the task, as am I."

"Good. I didn't expect anything else from you, Your Grace," said the king, smiling at his friend.

Then, he turned to Patrick, faithful servant and childhood playmate. "Your task is similar to that of the Duke of Sheffield's, but it concerns one servant of mine in particular."

"And who might that be, sir?" asked the new butler.

"A former lover of mine who has long since held a grudge against myself and Her Majesty – Ruth Charpentier."

Patrick nodded. Of course he knew Ruth – who didn't? She was infamous among the servants for her promiscuity. Still, Patrick had to admit that the way she cunningly used her feminine wiles to get what she wanted was somewhat impressive. She was, in essence, a strategist, and Patrick knew many a military man who simply wouldn't be able to match her scheming abilities. She knew how to play the game, and she'd been doing so for years but, perhaps, her luck had run out.

This was, after all, a new court. The rules were changing – new winners and losers were bound to emerge. It remained to be seen which one the whore would be.

"You are to keep an eye on her at all times," Niles explained. "I already have a young maid tailing her, but I want to know her every move – where she goes, what she does, and, especially, what she says."

Patrick nodded so low, it almost became a small bow.

"It will be done, my lord," he said. "But, if you do not mind my asking, what will she say that could confirm your suspicions? Surely, she will be trying to keep her identity as the traitor a secret..."

Niles was glad that they'd made it to this part of the conversation. It was the crux of his whole investigation, and it was the only thing that firmly linked the matter to Ruth. Without this evidence, there was nothing, and she would – frustratingly – be allowed to walk around freely as though she had done nothing.

Just thinking about it made him regret...everything he'd ever done with her. And not for the first time, either. She had proven herself to be nothing but a nasty, arrogant, vindictive snake, who used other people for her own gain and turned poisonous when they didn't let her.

But he wasn't planning on letting her get away. Hence all the extra measures he was taking.

"You are to listen in on her conversations, and her mutterings to herself," he told his butler. "All my conversations with my mother about C.C. have been in French, in order to keep them private. At least, I thought they were, but I had forgotten the servants' doorway into the room. I want you to find out if Ruth ever speaks the language, understanding it and responding to it accordingly. Her surname is French, after all, which implies that at least some of her family are as well. And she is the only one who has held such a grudge against myself and my wife. Alongside her frequent...habits...with my father, I have to have a reasonable doubt that she could have told him. If she is fluent in French, then we know she is our culprit."

Everyone in the room could tell his suspicions were more than valid. Still, they weren't proof of foul play, but it hinted at it. And that, given the circumstances and how little they had to go on, was more than enough to warrant it being looked into.

"Now," spoke the king, turning to Noel. "Last, but not least, a task for you, dearest brother."

"I am at Your Majesty's command," Noel said, bowing low. "Whatever it is, I shall do it, especially if it helps bring the traitorous snake who sold out my sister to justice."

In spite of himself, Niles smiled. He appreciated Noel's enthusiasm, but what he had planned for him had nothing to do with finding out who'd ratted them out to Joseph. No, the mission he had in mind would be a joint venture; one that, in Niles' not-so-humble opinion, Noel would enjoy a great deal.

"Although I'd normally hold no qualms against hunting down traitors, Lord Marlborough, your task doesn't exactly concern that," said the king, starting to grin. "But do not despair – your task has to do with righting a wrong committed against my lady wife as well."

Noel looked intrigued, even if he was also clearly disappointed that he wouldn't be involved in the larger investigation.

"What is my task to be, my king?" he asked, getting himself prepared for the order he knew was coming. He was determined to do it well, even if it wasn't what he had been expecting. "How much does it differ, from the others given out today?"

Niles chuckled. He could sense his brother-in-law testing the waters – trying to get a feel for how much he was going to like the work he was being given.

Luckily, he knew the man. And this was exactly the type of thing he'd been wanting to do from the very start.

"It differs, dear brother, but not in any way that should leave you worried about potentially missing out," he said with a grin. "You and I are undertaking this task together, as a joint venture. We are going to pay an unexpected visit to yours and my wife's cousin. The very same blackguard who threw her out of her own home, the moment it became known that your late father had succumbed to the plague. I'm sure you'll agree that this will be...an entertaining visit, for the both of us."

Niles felt rather smug when he noticed the corners of Noel's mouth had curled into an evil smirk – the kind of smirk that meant business.

"Is that so?" said the Duke of Marlborough, glee dripping from his every word. "Well, who am I to deny my king's wishes? If that's what you desire, then I'll selflessly join His Majesty in this mission."

"I'm happy to hear so," Niles said, getting to his feet. "Then, I suggest you get ready to go – we'll be leaving after lunch. However, since my wife is still bedridden, I won't be joining you downstairs."

"That's more than understandable, my lord. I shall be ready by then," Noel said.

"Wonderful. We'll reconvene at one o' clock. Until then, you are dismissed," Niles said before turning to the other three people present in the room. "As are you."

Each of his friends gave their bows and curtsies, echoing sentiments of how they wouldn't let him down and that they would have reports in for him soon.

As they left, he watched them go, knowing in his heart that he couldn't have asked for a more reliable group in his life. They would be sure to drag out the culprit into the light, no matter what it took, and C.C. would get the justice she needed.

That was what this visit to her cousin would be about, too. By the end of it all, there would be nothing keeping his wife from living freely, as she deserved; not whores who held grudges, or conniving little bastards of cousins who felt it was their right to kick people out onto the street.

Both would be taken care of, and she would be able to live the proper life of a queen. He would make certain of it.

* * *

The morning had been rather dull for Chandler, Duke of Bedford. The day was pleasant enough, but nothing had proved to be entertaining enough to hold his interest. It was lucky then, that he had so many things to choose from. It meant he could flit to the next thing when he found himself bored.

It was the gift and the curse of having so much money, he supposed. One he knew he wouldn't have, if he hadn't kicked his bitch of a cousin to the street after the death of her parents and younger sister.

Why should she get it all, just by herself? What had she done, in the time that she'd been there that meant she'd earned it? No girl ever earned the right to her own home, if there was a capable man available to take it instead. And most, if not all men, were more capable than a woman ever would be. She could've married him and been "capable" at warming his bed, and that would have made him happy enough to keep her around, but she'd refused. So, he did what he did with all disposable things (even if he was disappointed that he wouldn't get to get inside her at least once), and tossed her out.

It was only by luck that she seemed to have become Queen of England, instead. Pure chance that only weeks ago, the king had plucked her, out of his harem of whores! Chandler had flown into a rage when he'd first found out, which had since burned off into a simmer that now plagued him with the question of how or why it had happened in the first place. The decision had probably involved some more-than-scandalous feminine wiles that she could've used on him, in exchange for keeping her home. But she hadn't come crawling back to him since, so that had to be fine by him. She could have as many royal cocks in her as would fit, for all he cared – it saved her being an embarrassment as a wife, he supposed, and it kept him as the respectful family member, when those who mattered came to visit.

He had just settled into a rather good book (it kept thoughts of his whore of a cousin at bay) when a knock on the door interrupted him, immediately setting him up for irritation.

He snapped the book shut and turned around to glare at the servant in the doorway.

"What is it?" he asked, eyeing the man.

"Begging your pardon, my lord," the servant replied, swallowing. "But...His Majesty and one Lord Marlborough are here, and requesting to speak to you at once!"

That His Majesty was at the...?

Surely he hadn't heard correctly – his servant couldn't have said that the King of England was on his doorstep, flanked by this "Lord Marlborough", both of whom were waiting to talk to him? He didn't know who the latter was, but if he had come along with the king, he could only be one of His Majesty's lackeys.

And that could only spell trouble, really.

"What did you say?" the Duke replied to his servant as he slowly got to his feet.

The servant gulped; he knew his master had a...volatile temper. He was nothing like the kindly Duke from before, Lord Stewart, his previous master. He'd been devastated when his late master's wishes had been disregarded; especially when he saw how the current Duke had kicked Lady Babcock to the curb.

She'd only been seventeen years old at the time...his new master's treatment of her had not been right...

"I said that His Majesty and the Lord Marlborough are at your door, my lord," repeated the servant, "They wish to speak with you."

He stiffened, afraid, as the Duke began to march towards him.

"Did they say what they wanted?" the Duke demanded to know. "Hm? Why are they here? What do they want?!"

He was barely inches from the servant's face, and the man was shaking as he replied.

"N-no, my lord! They simply requested that I summon–"

His words were ended with a sharp slap across the face from his master.

"I am summoned by no one, least of all a whining, pathetic servant," the Duke snarled.

Gently rubbing his smarting face, the servant took a step back, "Begging your pardon, my lord. But they requested that I summon you...on their behalf."

On their behalf...well, he'd certainly go, then. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't ignore his monarch. Even if he thought the man had made a huge mistake in making his cousin his favourite scabbard for his sword.

Clenching his fist, he nodded, and began to head for the door.

"Very well. I shall speak to them."

The Duke straightened his fine clothes, still seething but knowing that he had to keep his composure in front of the King. It was just as well that his little slut of a cousin wasn't there – he wasn't entirely convinced that he could keep his composure enough to pretend that he had even the tiniest amount of respect for her.

He didn't, at all.

She might have been queen to others, but he knew she was nothing but a glorified whore who had managed to seduce the right man. He was sure that had been her plan all along, and he'd been thoroughly disappointed when she'd been found after being kidnapped.

She should have died in that house, alongside those two bastards that were probably being masqueraded as legitimate to keep the king from scandal. He wouldn't want to be left in disgrace because he hadn't managed to pull out in time and spill his seed elsewhere, so they'd probably concocted a plan of marriage. Or, at least, his cousin would have, in order to dig her claws in and stay clinging to someone else's power.

Not that he could say such things, to her husband, or to someone who was most likely on the king's side in this argument. As he could only remain calm, he ordered his servant to prepare some tea. Meanwhile, he made his way over to the door, bracing himself for what was to come. He had no idea what they wanted, but it couldn't mean anything good for him.

He knew that for certain, the moment he walked through the door and found the two men that were waiting for him outside.

One, he'd expected. Namely, King Niles. The man who had plucked his cousin out of the filth and the dirt, had probably given her a few "breaking in" rides, and had then decided to make her his queen so that he could have full access to her now much looser nether regions.

The other, he didn't expect at all. His own bastard cousin – his Uncle Stewart's biggest ever mistake, Noel FitzStewart!

But...but the servant had said that there was some "Lord Marlborough" with the king, at the door! No one else was there, apart from the greatest shame his family had (very narrowly beating the slut who had decided to be thrown out, rather than marry him)!

Had...had King Niles made that bastard a lord?! An actual, proper lord, putting him in league with the nobility who were born justly, truly and completely in the sanctity of marriage?! His mother had been nothing but a maid – a quick hole for his father to fill and then laugh over later; what gave him the right to stand next to dukes and earls?! Had King Niles been so bewitched by the spell on his cousin's open tinder box, that he was now willing to let dirt into the palace whenever it wanted to come inside?!

The shock was too much; it rendered him speechless. So speechless, he neither greeted them, nor made an attempt at bowing to his king.

Which was to the advantage of both Niles and Noel, who looked at each other before turning half-grins-half-snarls on the Duke.

"Bedford," the king began. "Have you forgotten your manners, when in the presence of your king?"

The Duke found his voice then, as sputtered and stammered as it was when it first came out.

"N-No, Your Majesty," he replied, bowing low. "Welcome, to my home. How can I be of service?"

He directed it all towards the king, hoping his bastard of a cousin would get the message that he wasn't worthy of his respect. Only true nobility was worthy of any respect at all, and even if the king was a fool blinded by his own lust, he was the highest among them all.

Not that any of that seemed to worry Noel in the slightest. He just smiled more fully at the Duke as he came out of the bow. It didn't reach his eyes.

"Funny you should ask that," he said, even though there didn't appear to be anything funny about the conversation. "Perhaps we should go inside to discuss exactly why we are here?"

Chandler's reaction was practically instinct – instilled from the moment he'd been old enough to know exactly what Noel was.

"I don't take orders from you, _bastard_," he replied with a hiss of loathing. "My question was addressed to His Majesty, no one else!"

Niles took an authoritative step towards him, a look of anger flashing in his eyes.

"Then you will watch your tongue and obey the suggestion of the man he brings with him, when on a visit such as this!" the king ordered sharply. He then approached the Duke, his voice lower and more dangerous. "Lord Marlborough is here to assist me in a matter I should have been able to address some time ago. I suggest, for your own sake, that you show him the respect his title deserves, or else it could end...poorly for you. Is that clear?"

Immediately, Chandler lost both his nerve and his voice again. He knew that any threat the king made could easily turn from "idle" to "word of law", and that it would happen practically in an instant.

He didn't want to go the way of the Carlisles – everybody in the country had to have heard of them, at this stage! The fate they were going to was worse than any he could ever imagine, and he wanted no part in any of it.

But in his deepest feelings, he couldn't believe that the king was siding with a bastard over him! Of course, the bastard was more closely related to his whore, but still! The king was supposed to uphold the nobility, not drag it through the mud by letting in the lowest of commoners...

Not that he could express such truths, clearly.

Instead, when words returned to him again, he simply nodded.

"Completely, Your Majesty," he said. "It will not happen again."

"It had better not, Bedford," the king said sternly. "Consider this your only warning."

Without waiting (or, really, not caring) for an answer, Niles turned to the door and marched in, gesturing for Noel to follow. Chandler had to bite his tongue – he didn't want his cousin inside his home. He didn't want him darkening his beautiful home, but he also knew he couldn't refuse the king. It was Chandler's duty to receive the monarch, whether he liked it or not. He only hoped that, whatever it was that His Arseholeness wanted, it wouldn't be too bad for him.

With a sigh, Chandler went back into his home, reluctantly stepping into the role of host. When he'd caught up with King Niles, he guided his two "guests" (or rather, his guest and an unwanted pest) to the sitting room, where the servants had already poured cups of tea and laid out a small selection of cakes and pastries for them to enjoy.

"Please, do take a seat," Chandler said, gesturing at the comfortable settees and sofas surrounding the coffee table where the food and drinks had been set out.

Not that his words were more than a simple formality. The king would have taken a seat had he invited him to do so or not. Still, he had to make an effort not to glower at the monarch when he took Chandler's own seat – the good, fluffy armchair clearly destined for the head of the house. His cousin sat on the smaller chair on Niles' right.

Chandler resented having to let his hind touch it, really.

But there was nothing he could do. He could only take the next nearest, available seat. It wasn't anywhere near as good as the two – not one, but _two_! – seats he'd had to leave for his visitors.

His unexpected visitors, who were now eating his food and drinking his tea...!

He couldn't mention any of this. It was all part of the polite front he was putting on; even if he would have rather spat in the tea and thrown the pastries to the floor so that they would've had to eat them off the stones.

"Now, Your Majesty has business with me," he phrased it as a statement, knowing it was rude to ask unwarranted questions to the king. He was already on thin ice and he didn't need it cracking. "How may I..._be of service_?"

He only just managed to force the question out of his throat. It almost seemed to cling there for dear life, enraged and fearful at the very idea of finding out what the king wanted him for.

Again, Niles gave a look to Noel that Chandler didn't much like, before he gave his answer.

"_Service_ may be a poor choice of word here."

"But it could end up being ironic," Noel chimed in. "If this conversation takes a certain route..."

Niles started to smirk, "Indeed. We are here, Bedford, because you owe something that you have kept for too long. We are also here to collect the debt, in one way or another."

Chandler just about kept himself from snorting. Not only did the king and his bastard cousin sound ridiculous, but they were also completely wrong. He didn't owe anything to anybody – not for any amount of time. And certainly not anything that they would ever have to come and collect on someone else's behalf!

He owned everything he had, legally and fairly. It wasn't his fault if a few people (and _someone_ in particular) might've had to suffer in some form because he'd taken what was rightfully his. That wasn't his problem.

"Begging your pardon, Sire, but I cannot help wondering if there...might have been some sort of mistake," he replied more tactfully than was deserved to their foolishness. "I owe no debts of any kind. Everything I have is my own, and I never lend money."

Even the thought of those last two words made him nearly give a shudder, but he distracted himself from it by reaching for a cup of tea.

His bastard cousin let out a bark of a laugh. It was as unpleasant as it had always been, but something about it coming after what Chandler had said made it feel worse.

"Do you really believe that, cousin?" Noel asked, amused. "Have you forgotten?"

Chandler just about managed to swallow his gulp of tea before he replied with venom.

"Forgotten what?"

"Forgotten who this house really belongs to," Noel replied waspishly, smile all but lost.

"That would be me," Chandler said, glaring. "When your father died, his estate passed on to the next rightful heir in line – myself. It's not my fault if you weren't... _fit_ for the position."

Had the king not been there to protect his cousin, Chandler would have added that Noel's new (undeserved) title was giving him ideas above his station. In Chandler's eyes, he was filth. Would always be filth. No matter how many titles or riches were rained on him, he would always be a bastard. An unwanted blotch on the family tree. He might have the king on his side now, but the law was clear: he couldn't inherit his father's estate due to his being a bastard. They didn't have a leg to stand on, legally speaking, and he certainly wasn't handing over his rightful home to some uppity half-breed.

"I wasn't talking about me, you buffoon," snapped his cousin, slamming down his cup of tea , nearly spilling its contents all over the table. "I meant my sister, your queen. She is the rightful owner of this house and everything within it, and still you kicked her out with only the clothes on her back! You banished her to a cruel, unforgiving world, all on her own, not caring what would become of her – a proper lady, born from a _lawful union_, might I add!"

If Chandler hadn't been wearing a snarl before, he certainly was after hearing his bastard of a cousin's words. He should've known that was what they were here for! To defend the slut against him, over the house she could've chosen to have, if she had just married him instead of choosing life on the streets! It was no surprise that the king, who was clearly still under the spell of that thing she had between her legs, would obey when she clicked her fingers and made him go.

And, of course, where his king went, so too would her lapdog of a bastard half-brother. Social climbing wherever he went, even if that was to demand another person's house!

The only surprise, he supposed, was that it had taken them this long to come for the house. It might have only been a short while that the First Whore of England had been allowed to wear her mantle, but still; there had been many days up until now where they could've arrived!

He supposed the when didn't matter entirely, though. It wasn't as though he was going to give the place up to a slut who wouldn't even give up her womanhood for the price of having a roof over her head!

Not that he would say such a thing when the king was so close by.

He put his own cup down before he could crush it in a fit of anger.

"Lawful or not, I gave her the chance to stay under my own terms," he argued in return. "She refused said terms; I am not obliged to house, clothe and feed every single wastrel, vagrant or vagabond who comes my way!"

If he'd had time, he might've recognised how poorly chosen his words were. But it was too late for that – Niles had already leapt up out of his seat, enraged by the insults that had just spewed forth from the unworthy Duke's mouth.

He stormed forward, seizing Chandler by the front of his coat and lifting him out of his own chair.

"You will not refer to my wife, your queen, by anything less than the respectful titles and honours she deserves!" he snarled. "She is not a wastrel, a vagrant or a vagabond, and you insult her by even inferring that she is any such thing! Just because she refused to marry you, does not make her any less worthy than she is. She has more value and honour in her little finger than you have in your entire pathetic body, you title-stealing, jumped-up little weasel!"

He let the words pour out of him, his rage not even complete by getting to scream. How dare that...that thieving bastard sully his wife's name by including her among criminals! She had done no wrong in refusing to marry him – she had every right to stay in her own home, without being forced to marry a man she didn't love!

And said man was now in his grasp, just as he'd wanted him to be when C.C. had told him how she'd ended up working as a maid.

"You should know about weasels," snapped the Duke, not caring to disguise his hatred for his cousin anymore – the cat was out of the bag, so what good would pretending do? "The one you married had no qualms about climbing on top to get back on top, didn't she?"

The next thing he knew, he was on his back, and there was a pain in his jaw like he'd been hit with a hammer.

And Niles was seeing more red than he'd ever seen on any battlefield. So much, he barely even felt the ache in his knuckles where they had met Chandler's face.

The words burned in his brain like fire, which then reflected back in his eyes as he stared down at the bastard who had insulted his love as though she were nothing! As though she were some...some whore who'd only used him to get what she wanted!

He knew that wasn't true. And he knew what people – bitter, angry, stupid people – called her. But he couldn't beat all of them for it, all of the time. Even though he had the perfect excuse for it at the present moment, still right in front of him!

"Utter _one_ more untrue word about my wife, and I will kill you myself!" he shouted, towering over the Duke's now-diminished form. "No trial, or conviction – just me, the two hands that God gave me and one witness who is _not_ sympathetic to your case. Is that clearer than my reminder about your manners...?!"

Chandler nodded, eyes wide with alarm and jaw throbbing painfully as Niles began to pace up and down, seething, and not once taking his eyes from the nobleman on the floor.

"Just so you know, after you kicked her out, Lord Marlborough here helped my wife get an honest job at the palace," began Niles. "I was the one who was smitten with her from the very first moment I saw her, and I was the one who eventually begged for her love."

The king stooped down, so that he could yank at the Earl's shirt – their faces were now inches apart.

"I went through hell to get her back, narrowly avoiding the fate my bastard father and his accomplices had decided for her. I raked the entire kingdom to find her... and you call her a whore?!" he screamed, and punched the Duke again. "If she had been anything less than pure, the law states that she wouldn't be able to be the queen, and she is!"

He dropped the collar of the Duke's shirt, sending him back to the floor. Roughly.

"But my wife's purity is not the issue here – I don't have to prove anything to a thief."

"I am no thief!" Chandler barked bravely – or rather, stupidly. "I may have to shut my mouth and bow to a woman who should be rotting six feet under already, but I haven't taken anything from her. The law is clear: a woman can't inherit her father's estate. You have nothing on me!"

"Oh, but we do," Niles hissed, his mouth twisting into an evil grin. "You see, the estate may be yours, but her possessions – jewellery, clothing, books – are not. They are hers in the eyes of the law, and when you refused to let her take any of them with her the moment you kicked her to the curb, you essentially committed theft."

Chandler let out a disparaging noise that sounded very much like "pfft". It was an unwise move on his part – not that he seemed to realise that as he kept talking.

"A mere technicality! A court would never convict me on such a flimsy excuse! They'd see that I owned the property and laugh it out of the room!"

Even Niles knew that he had a dangerously clever glint in his eye at this point. He leaned in towards the other man, an edge in his voice not even hinting at a threat.

"And who do you suppose the courts will believe, hm? The man who _technically_ stole the queen's belongings after throwing her out, or the king himself?"

The other man paused, his mind clearly whirring like clockwork as it tried to come up with some sort of answer. Not that it found any he liked. Chandler felt his stomach fall; he truly had no answer. Nothing other than the king blatantly being the one the courts would side with! Of course he wouldn't stand a chance going up against the king in court! Any judge or jury that saw him being accused of lying and theft by the king himself was of course going to immediately side with the king! It was unfair (especially when he had done no wrong in claiming his birthright!), but it was the truth!

And the monarch knew it.

"You, Your Majesty," he eventually had to let come out between almost-gritted teeth. That was only to prevent himself from shaking too hard and giving away his fear.

Satisfied at any rate, Niles leaned back away from him again, "Indeed. And I'm sure a literate man such as yourself knows what the penalty for theft is, correct?"

Chandler's face fell, along with any hope he'd thought he'd had of winning this argument. The entire room suddenly seemed incredibly cold, even with the roaring fire. And it only got colder as he looked at the two maliciously pleased grins on the faces of his guests.

Were they his guests? He wasn't feeling quite so sure now...

"Death," he muttered as his expected reply, the word sounding louder in his head than it actually came out on his lips. He felt his throat drying up, and he swallowed heavily. "The...the penalty for theft is death..."

The king walked over to look down at where he was still mostly sprawled on the floor, trying to get up but finding it hard to move any more quickly than slowly.

"That's about the only right and true thing you've said the entire time we've been here," Niles said. "But, if you wish to avoid the fate you truly – and I _really_ mean truly – deserve, I will strike a bargain with you. For your own sake, I'd suggest that you take it."

Chandler forced himself into an upright position, sat with his legs out on the floor, looking up at the king. He didn't like the sound of this offer one bit, even if the alternative did seem...even less pleasant. It sounded to him like he would be forced into terms he would not agree with, and the king knew it.

"How do I know that I can trust this offer?" the Duke asked, suspicion permeating his tone. "How do I know you will not go back on it, and have me killed anyway?"

The look in the king's eyes changed; they weren't angry anymore. They weren't happy, either – they were just...there. Cold as stone and as merciless as a prison. They spoke the truth of what he would say next.

"There's only one reason I am not doing exactly as you expect by betraying you, or just having you killed right now," he said. "And that is because I am a better person than you. Now, you can either agree to the terms that I will set out, or you can meet the men I have outside who are ready and waiting to take you to the Tower. It's your choice."

His insides turning into a kind of mush that reminded the Duke of a bowl of porridge that had sat out for too long, he grumbled something incoherently back that sounded enough like agreement to keep the king from dragging him out of the house and tossing him straight to the guards.

"I thought so," Niles nodded, beginning. "To start with, you will be allowed to keep your titles, as well as any other family estates that you own, and your personal fortune. Any money which you have in this house, however, is now forfeit to Her Majesty. You will quietly leave without it, or anything else, apart from one horse of your choosing in the stable. That is the only kindness I will offer you – you will not be allowed to take food, medicine or any money that isn't already on your person. The rest of this estate must go to Her Majesty. Apart from payments for its upkeep, of course, you shall continue to do that yourself. Do you accept these terms, or am I to be forced to preside over a trial that is certain to have an execution involved?"

Chandler shook his head immediately, the mention of the Tower alone having sent him into a jittery, nervous wreck.

He couldn't do that to him, no matter how much of a bastard he was, or the company he kept! He wasn't going to that tower, no matter what that meant – he'd sooner starve on the streets than go in...there, with all the wailing and the crying and all the guards torturing you into a confession...

Perhaps, he thought before declaring anything aloud, losing one home from his several beautiful properties might be worth the price the king was willing to take off his head... even if he still burned with resentment over having to work off his "debt" to the queen somehow.

Through gritted teeth, he answered. "I...accept your terms."

"Good," the king said matter-of-factly. "Then I consider this meeting over. You can show yourself out. One of my men will accompany you to the stables so you can choose your horse and leave. You have fifteen minutes. Should I see you here after this time is up, our agreement will no longer stand and you will be placed under arrest and taken to the Tower."

Chandler didn't need to be told twice. After bowing one last time to the king (out of obligation, nothing else), he bolted out of the room and in the direction of the stables. Niles didn't really care which horse he took – it could be his prized stallion or an old filly, it wouldn't make a difference for all he cared. Had C.C. had her own horse back when her family was still alive, he would have made sure Chandler didn't take it, but that wasn't the case. C.C. wasn't big on riding horses.

"Well, now that's over and done with, shall we inspect the property?"

Noel's sudden question brought Niles out of his thoughts.

Inspecting the home _was_ a good idea, the king thought. Knowing Bedford, he doubted it would be neglected, but it was always good to check. Besides, he wanted to recover some of C.C.'s possessions before returning home – they'd make a nice surprise for his wife.

"That's a sound idea," Niles eventually replied. "But would it be too much to ask if you did most of it on your own? I was planning on recovering a few of C.C.'s things and then riding back home. I did promise C.C. I would have dinner with her and the children."

Noel smiled. He completely understood. He remembered that, after every one of Margaret's deliveries, he'd wished to spend most (if not all) his time with his wife and newborn child. That went double for Niles, considering the circumstances surrounding the twins' birth.

"Not at all, dear brother," said Noel. "Would you like me to show you to her old rooms? They are right in front of the ones that used to be mine."

Niles felt his insides give an odd little jiggle. He didn't know quite how to describe it – it was somewhere between the excitement he always felt at getting to spend time with his wife and the embarrassment he had felt when he'd been on the cusp of courting her and his mother had shamed him in front of her. He could even feel his cheeks starting to warm up, and he knew it had nothing to do with the fireplace...!

He was just thankful Noel couldn't see in the dark of the room – the man would never let him live it down, and...and oh, God, he might even tell C.C.! The mere thought of his wife finding out that he was getting all sorts of flustered over the idea of stepping into her childhood bedroom made him want to curl up like a hedgehog and never come out again!

But how could he refuse? The part of him that was excited to the point of grinning tugged his stomach in the direction of the stairs. He knew he had to go. He wanted to see the way his wife had lived – spent her childhood, and the teenage years she'd had before tragedy had forced her away. He wanted to know, and to get an idea of the things she'd liked to do, the clothes she'd worn, the books she'd read...

He wanted to imagine her there, young and beautiful, enjoying the day as any other young noblewoman with nothing to do might.

Squashing down the feeling of wanting to immediately blurt out yes, he kept himself calm as he replied to his brother-in-law.

"That would be wonderful, thank you."

"Follow me," Noel said, quickly turning on his heels towards the door. "C.C.'s rooms are on the fifth floor – they were a birthday gift from our good father, back when she first turned fifteen. He felt she deserved a room fit for her station. So she was moved from her shared room with D.D. to her own private quarters. It took a few months to have it ready – Margaret and I actually helped decorate. She was pregnant at the time, so it was easier said than done! Still, C.C. absolutely loved them!"

Niles couldn't help smiling – the picture of Noel and Margaret working alongside Stewart and B.B. to surprise a young C.C. was absolutely endearing. It spoke volumes of the kind of family they'd been: close and loving. Not many people had that…

Niles himself hadn't had that, back when his father had been alive. Joseph's love had always been tied to living up to his expectations, and while his mother had always been a kind, loving presence, he had (shamefully) overlooked her love in his endless pursuit of his father's approval. Thankfully, C.C.'s influence on him meant that, now that he had his own children, he was determined to have the kind of family life C.C. had had and that Marie had always wanted: loving and supporting.

Even imagining it made him feel happier as they made their way upstairs. It felt like he was setting things right (well, with a lot of helpful pushing from his beloved), after far too long a time, and that released a weight from his shoulders that he'd only recently realised he was even carrying.

He'd happily move on without it, too. And gathering together some of his wife's things to bring to their home was just a small example of him doing just that.

They eventually got to a pair of locked ornate doors – C.C.'s old room. They had to ask and wait for a servant to fetch the key and unlock the door, but when that was done they were met with a rather depressing sight.

It was true, her rooms had once been beautiful – ornate furniture made of the finest materials, paintings decorating the walls, velvet curtains and hardwood floors…

They gave testament to the luxury his wife had once lived in, but ever since then, Chandler had been using her chambers as a storage room. A storage room for all of her and her parents' old possessions that the former Duke hadn't found useful. Niles looked around at it all, piled up so unceremoniously and covered by a thick layer of dust. This was part of her life that the Duke had tried to hide away, until it was forgotten. Not wanting to trip or break anything, Niles carefully made his way over to a stack of paintings on what used to be C.C.'s favourite chaise longue. They were old family portraits, he realised as he peered down at them in amazement.

Amazement, and a little sadness, too.

Atop the pile of discarded paintings, there was a family portrait – Stewart Babcock stood proudly, looking down at his wife as she sat at a small table, lavishing attention on the little girl in her arms.

The little girl with porcelain cheeks, golden curls and a long, straight nose.

His heart warmed to see the sight; he'd never once gotten to see his beloved interact with her parents in the flesh. But this artist had captured them all as C.C. had described – the warmth in her mother's smile, the pride in her father's eyes, everything down from the colour of their hair to the shape of their faces said that they were a close, loving family...

The warmth in his chest started to turn painful, shooting through the happy feeling like a knife determined to cut it out. But the feeling had a point; it had all gone away again, far too quickly. His beloved had barely gotten to have the family that she should have had with her, her whole life...!

He blinked hard at the image, and felt a hand on his shoulder. Noel had come to take a look at the picture, too – a reminder of what he'd lost, as well.

"I think they would have liked you, very much," he told his brother-in-law quietly. "Even if you didn't have your title, and could have practically any other woman that you wanted. They would've seen the love you have for C.C.. It would have been everything, in their minds."

Niles felt touched by the praise, even if he did also feel unworthy of it. Had they been alive to see him as he _had_ been, he doubted very much that they'd want him to have anything to do with C.C...

All he could do was silently promise to keep living up to their expectations.

He smiled at Noel, patting his arm to acknowledge his comforting gesture.

"Well, she means everything to me; it is only natural that I will do everything for her," he said in return. "I personally think that your family will be proud of you, dear brother. For all you have done and survived, without them. Raised yourself into nobility of your own accord..."

It was Noel's turn to blink hard. Throughout his life, he'd faced endless prejudice due to his origins. He'd learnt to live with it, yes, but for all the times his father, sisters and wife had told him he was just as worthy as the next man, there had been another opportunity for society to kick him down and remind him he was no better than a stray dog in its eyes. And it hurt. It always did. He'd always put on a brave face and carry on, but the feeling of rejection – of being worthless – would linger, like an oil stain that simply refused to be cleaned.

And now… now that didn't matter anymore. He could hold his head up high and be proud of who and what he was. He could give his wife and children the kind of life they deserved. There were limitless opportunities for his little ones now: from careers in politics and the military, to good and prestigious marriages. They were free in a way he'd never been, and he had both God and his brother-in-law to thank for that.

Sometimes, when he thought too hard about it, his new life felt…surreal. Like he was in a pleasant daydream that had popped up in one's head during languorous summer afternoons while dozing under a tree in the garden.

He remembered that, when he'd first told Margaret they were now the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, his wife had almost fainted. The implications were too monumental for them to take them all in at once. Life wouldn't (and it certainly hadn't) been the same. They were _someone_ now. They had been finally welcomed into the world that had shut its doors in their faces time and time again.

And it felt good. It felt like vindication.

"I can only hope so," Noel eventually said.

Both men, feeling too emotional for their masculinity's taste, quickly (and wordlessly) walked away from the paintings they'd been looking at under the guise of inspecting the rest of the room. Had their wives been there, they would have laughed at Noel spending an unusual amount of time scrutinising an old music box, or at Niles perusing C.C.'s old library, all the while discretely wiping at their eyes.

It would've been yet another thing that C.C. would've never let him live down, Niles thought to himself. That and the blushing and odd little feeling in his stomach that he'd had earlier...

The feeling had actually faded away at that point. There was no need to be flustered once he was actually seeing the room – as intimate and private as the space was, the misuse carried out on it by the Duke of Bedford dampened it down. His curiosity, however, had remained the same; alive and kicking, in regards to everything he was seeing.

His beloved had been as much an avid reader in her youth as she was in adulthood, it seemed. The shelves were practically bursting, they were so packed with books, and several of them still lay open on other surfaces – tables and tops of chests of drawers, a desk in the corner that looked as though its occupant hadn't long left.

It was still set out with a piece of parchment – a candle burned out in a holder, an inkwell ready and waiting on the table surface...what had she been about to do, when she'd been called away, or distracted?

He didn't know, but he lapsed into daydreaming about his wife's day-to-day in that room; would she read every day, at the large window at the back of the room? Did she sew or embroider with her mother and sister? Did she spend time outside in the gardens, when the weather permitted it?

He supposed she must have done all those things. But he couldn't help letting the idea of them wash over him now, when he was in the place where it had all happened, just a short while ago.

The place had its own magic to it. He hoped C.C. would feel it, too, when she got to step foot back through the doors.

It would have to wait a little, though – Potts had prescribed her to be on light bed rest for at least two more weeks – but when the time did come, the king would do everything in his power to ensure her coming back home was a happy affair. That would probably entail deep cleaning her room, restoring the family portraits to their original places and getting rid of all of her cousin's belongings, but he was sure it could be done. He was the king, after all, and power had its perks. Namely, having an army of servants waiting to do his bidding.

Still, even if his wife couldn't visit yet, he could try and cheer her up by bringing a few of her things back to the palace. Her own jewellery box and that of her mother were a good start. The former was still lying atop C.C.'s dresser, while the latter had been dumped unceremoniously on the floor, right next to her wardrobe. He could tell what they were because, back when he and C.C. had first married, he'd gifted her a new jewellery box based on her description of her old one. The only noticeable difference between C.C.'s old jewellery box and B.B.'s, were the different gilded monograms on the lids.

Niles couldn't help frowning. It was disgusting, really, just how dismissive Chandler had been of the things C.C. treasured. He had dumped a huge part of her life in there, not caring about what he'd deemed trinkets, all while his wife despaired over their loss.

Had he not kicked the man out already, he would have punched him again.

Huffing, Niles picked up C.C.'s jewellery box and then walked over to where B.B.'s lay. He very gently picked it up, opened it and, when he realised there appeared to not be any jewels missing, he heaved a sigh of relief. C.C. would no longer need to cling on to a simple bracelet to remember her mother by. Not anymore. She'd have everything back.

He closed the lid and prepared to take it with him, checking all around the floor just in case anything small like a ring or a broach or even a single gem had fallen out but not left a noticeable space in the box. He didn't want to miss a single piece; his wife loved them all from what she had told him, but he didn't want to disappoint if there was a particular favourite or sentimental item that really would warm her heart to have back in her possession.

It was only as he looked up without finding anything that something like what he'd been imagining caught his eye; a glint of some kind, reflecting just enough light back to show him where to look. It was coming from behind one of the wardrobe doors, as it hung ajar on its hinge.

That was strange – could there be more family jewels in there that he didn't know about? Maybe this was where C.C. kept her tiaras? She'd told him she'd amassed a rather impressive collection in her youth…

His curiosity piqued, Niles inched the door open with his one free hand (the other was busy balancing the two jewellery boxes) and, much to his disappointment, he only found a number of her old dresses. Some of the colours had faded from not being in the sun for so long, but they'd definitely been hers. Still, among her clothing, Niles spotted the source of the glint.

It was a dress.

A beautiful blue dress with diamonds and sapphires sewn into it. And it looked...strangely familiar. But where on Earth would he have seen one of C.C.'s dresses from her youth before? At that age, he would have only had contact with a lot of people younger than him on the few trips he made out of the palace and at...at balls...

Oh good God, even the word had slapped him in the face and forced him to remember where he'd seen it! It had been at the first ball that had been thrown for him once he'd finished his military training! The ball that had been held so that he could find a wife and that had gone disastrously wrong!

This was the dress of the one woman he'd actually felt a connection with that night. This was Lady Bird's dress!

The realisation had smacked into him with the weight of a cannonball, nearly forcing him to the floor in its weight and sending him reeling. If this dress was here, and that dress was C.C.'s, then that could only mean that she had been Lady Bird, all those years ago! But...but how?! He'd been so sure he would never see Lady Bird again at all! How had it come to pass that they had met once more, and that she was now his wife?!

It almost felt like a dream – like nothing he was seeing or touching was real, even though he was holding the proof of it all right there in his hands! It had to be real, but it seemed so unlikely he didn't understand how it could be. How could fate have been so good to them, that they had found each other again simply by accident?

C.C. _was_ Lady Bird – had been her all along, whether he'd known it or not!

"Oh, my love...!" he gasped, "It was you, all this time...!"

Hearing his own words was making his head spin, so much so he feared he'd collapse at any moment from the sheer magnitude of his discovery. C.C. – his own wife – was Lady Bird! He'd been so taken by her, and her sudden departure had been akin to an underhanded blow to the stomach. He'd searched and searched for the mysterious Lady Bird after that night – issuing proclamation after proclamation for her to come to the palace, so that he could do what he'd wanted to do that very night and propose. But she had never appeared.

He'd been terrible to women before then, but any sense of holding back had left him when Lady Bird hadn't come to him. It was almost as though he'd decided not to have a heart – it had been hollowed out by what he'd believed to be her obvious rejection. He'd become extremely bitter, and had taken out his anger on a string of poor, innocent women who weren't to blame for his misfortune. They had been torn down by him, left broken, rejected and sometimes even mocked, so that he could feel better about himself. About losing – being rejected by – the only woman he'd ever really been taken by. The only one he had ever considered marrying before C.C..

It hadn't been fair, in the then prince's eyes. They'd seemed to spend one beautiful night talking and dancing, before it had all just...disappeared.

At least, that's what he'd thought! But he couldn't possibly have known what had been going on with her family, at the time! That had kept them separate – it had to have done! It was the same time!

He remembered her father coming out to them, clearly in distress and despair, telling her about the buboes they had found on her sister, that she had to come quickly, and then she had taken off into the night with only an apology...

It was no wonder she had never replied to the proclamations! Her entire family had gone; she'd had nothing! Nothing, but the despair of a heartbreak he couldn't even begin to imagine...the last thing she would've wanted to hear would've been a marriage proposal...

If he'd known then what she had been going through – losing her home and her family, and being forced onto the streets – he would've rushed straight to her! He would've tried to explain, to apologise, to see what could've been done for her situation...

He wouldn't have turned so harshly to the awful things that he'd done.

He wouldn't have spent more time than he should have being bitter about it. Granted, the moment he'd fallen for C.C., all the memories and any feelings he'd still had for Lady Bird had been washed away and had replaced by a new kind of love. A more mature kind of love: steadfast and kind. He'd thought he'd found his one true love when he met C.C., but as it turns out he'd only ever loved one woman.

He had to get home, and fast. Of course, he had to take the dress with him, too – there was so much they had to talk about and he couldn't wait a moment longer to get started!

But even if he really and truly wanted to try that, he wouldn't do that with the dress in his arms – he could trip, fall and ruin the reminder she had kept of their first meeting! The carriage would be adequate, he supposed. Even if it would do nothing to burn off the adrenaline coursing through his blood even as he stood there!

"Are you quite alright, dear brother?" he just about heard Noel's voice call from somewhere in the room. "You're shaking like you're coming down with a fever..."

Niles let out a short yelp, "I'm fine!"

Even he would have agreed that that would've been more convincing if he'd actually sounded fine, but it was too late by that point and Noel's footsteps were already heading over.

It was only made worse when his brother-in-law realised what he was looking at.

"Oh, C.C. adored that dress! She wore it when...the night that..." he trailed off, frowning as memories he wished he didn't have flooded his mind. He shook his head, almost like he was trying to free himself of them. "Are you going to bring it to her?"

Niles took the dress from its place, wanting to grab it but also not wanting to handle it too roughly and accidentally damage it. He folded it carefully over his arm, trying his absolute hardest not to jostle it.

"I will be – this, and the jewellery boxes."

"What makes you think she'll be wanting this specific dress more than anything else?" Noel asked. "The jewellery boxes both have far happier memories attached. She's probably missing them more, and you're already taking them."

"I know," Niles muttered in return, really only just about paying attention to what Noel was saying.

As much as Niles respected Noel, he knew the man didn't understand what this dress meant – he wasn't there that night. He didn't understand the significance, or have any inkling of what Niles was thinking about now.

He wouldn't understand the reasons that were now urging Niles to simply bolt from the room. He had to get out of there, right then!

"But there's something I need to talk to C.C. about," he said quickly. "I will leave you to continue the inspection, brother! I must get home!"

Spinning on his heel as his brother-in-law moved, Noel's eyebrows shot up.

"Home? What do you mean "home"?!"

It sounded like he was leaving him there by himself! But why?! What had happened?! He'd been staring at an old dress one minute, and then the next he'd just decided to take off and talk to C.C. about something?! It didn't make any sense!

"I mean what I say, and I say I have to get home!" Niles replied rapidly. "I'm sorry, brother; you'll have to finish by yourself!"

He practically left Noel in the dust behind him, only hearing him cry out as he dashed from the room and hurried down the corridor.

"But wait! What's going on?! Niles, what am I supposed to be doing?!"

Niles ignored him, too caught up in what he knew he had to do. He was sorry to have to leave his brother-in-law to take care of the rest of the house for the moment – it was so large, it would take forever! But Noel would be fine; he'd figure out a system like he always did – showing C.C. what he had found just couldn't wait!

He rushed down the stairs as quickly and as carefully as he could, bringing the dress and the two jewellery boxes to the waiting carriage and ordering the driver to take him home immediately the moment he got up the step and through the door.

He wanted the driver to go as fast as the horses could take him. Going home and reuniting with his Lady Bird just couldn't wait.


End file.
